A few years ago, rumours began circulating about the return of Toyota's sports cars from the 1980s and 1990s. The names Supra, MR2, and Celica were all evoked as part of the speculation.
The Supra made its comeback in 2019 as a 2020 model. In 2021, the company revealed an electric two-seater concept, reigniting talk of a new MR2.
The Celica's name recently resurfaced from a source that’s at once relevant and not. A report in Toyota Times magazine on the subject of sports cars included a conversation with former CEO Akio Toyoda, who currently serves as the company's chairman, and who hinted at the Celica's possible return.
The 67-year-old businessman confirmed having asked his superiors about relaunching the Celica. “I'm not just saying this because we're at a rally event, but (Juha) Kankkunen (who was invited to the demo run) is Mr. Celica. He was champion four times in the Celica. Now you can all have a think about why I’m using Kankkunen so much. See if you can guess!”, he teased.
Akio Toyoda is not the first prominent figure in the company to declare a wish for the Celica's return. Earlier this year, Toyota President Tsuneji Sato said he would like to see an eighth-generation model.
We know Toyota plans to introduce more GR (Gazoo Racing) models to join the GR 86, GR Corolla, and GR Supra. In some markets worldwide, there’s also the GR Yaris. There are even rumours of a more performance-oriented Prius, and the new Century SUV has been presented with a GR logo.
Toyoda did temper his comments, explaining that not everything he suggests necessarily becomes a priority for the new leadership. Nevertheless, as the saying goes, there's no smoke without fire.
Toyota may be just exploring this idea; a new model hitting the market is not a sure thing. There are admittedly questions about where the car would fit into the lineup. A new Celica could also be all-electric, which would be an interesting direction.
Clearly, this could go in various directions, or it could go nowhere. One thing is certain: the name Celica resonates with fans and reviving it wouldn't be a bad idea.