The highly anticipated return of the Toyota Celica, which has been teased for almost three years now, may end up disappointing enthusiasts. New reports now believe that the car will be an AWD “sporty” crossover and not a modern reincarnation of the GT-Four that fans have been hoping for. The silver lining, however, is that the car will have a few design cues that reference Celicas of yore.
According to Autocar, the upcoming AWD vehicle could be powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder motor with some form of electrification. This is a significant increase over the GR Yaris’ 1.6-liter turbo three. The rumor mill has estimated have pegged output at 400 ps, but Auto Motor und Sport says that 600 horsepower could be squeezed from the engine.
“The displacement size of 1.6 liters [used in the GR Yaris], for example, cannot meet emission regulations. So we have to consider the possibility of a 2.0-liter,” said Mikio Hayashi, Gazoo Racing’s marketing manager. “We are thinking about various sizes, but we are not at a stage where we can tell you exactly what size it is. Nothing has been decided yet about whether it will be a standard hybrid or plug-in hybrid.”
Autocar also learned that the name of the car will be Celica Sport. The addition of the “Sport” moniker puts it in line with the ironically named Crown Sport. In the Crown line, the Crown Sport is a “sporty” SUV, while the Crown Estate (known as the Crown Signia in the US) is a wagon-like crossover with a lower roofline but larger overall volume.
Images of a rally car testing in Portugal are widely believed to be the Celica Sport. The camouflaged car has very strange proportions and appears to be quite a bit taller than what one would expect from a traditional sports coupe, lending credence to the crossover rumor.
When former Toyota president Koji Sato took the reins, he said it was his “life’s dream” to bring the Celica back. Perhaps the direction of the Celica Sport is why he decided to abruptly step down after just three years in the role. The Celica Sport is scheduled to debut in 2027 for the 2028 model year.
Clearly a sign of the approaching apocalypse.
It has 4 wheels and seats.