Toyota Celica return confirmed for 2027

Months of speculation is at an end following Toyota's announcement that the Celica nameplate will return as one of the vehicles campaigned in the 2027 World Rally Championship.

Three crews will compete under the Toyota Racing banner in the GR Celica Rally1, with the competition kicking off in Monte Carlo on January 21. Specifications and a release date for the road Celica have not yet been announced.

As soon as Toyota started testing an unusual looking prototype for the 2027 World Rally Championship, whispers started that the Celica was returning.

It had to be, as it was clearly not a Yaris or a Corolla, the GR86 isn't due for replacement and an MR2 – also rumoured to be returning soon – wouldn't be appropriate for rallying.

A Celica would be, though, as Toyota campaigned the model from the late-1970s to the mid-1990s, winning championships in 1990, 1992, 1993 and 1994 as a turbocharged, all-wheel drive rocketship.

Toyota will be hoping history repeats itself, with three crews campaigning the GR Celica Rally1 under the Toyota Racing banner, with another three crews using a new-generation GR Yaris Rally 1 as GAZOO Racing Toyota.

While a road Celica has not been officially confirmed, it is a necessity for the car to compete and while no details or pictures have yet been released, we won't have long to wait as the season kicks off on January 21 in Monte Carlo.

The Toyota Celica was last offered in Australia in 2005 as a front-wheel drive coupe producing 140kW/180Nm from its high-revving Yamaha-tweaked 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine.

Don't expect a budget price tag, as the $44,700 charged back in 2005 (or $46,400 as an automatic) equates to more than $80,000 today.

We would also anticipate the new Celica's mechanical specification to be closer to the turbocharged, all-wheel drive ST165-205 generations that secured those WRC titles.

While this is purely speculative, the new Celica would be the ideal home for Toyota's new G20E high-performance 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, which is capable of up to 298kW in production guise.

Attached to an evolution of the all-wheel drive system and six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic gearboxes from the GR Yaris and Corolla, it would help fill the gap between these hot hatches and the forthcoming GR GT supercar as Toyota looks to establish GAZOO Racing as a brand in its own right.

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