Toyota world rally return?

Mounting speculation that Toyota is returning to the World Rally Championship is expected to be clarified this afternoon.

Akio Toyoda, the global boss of the world's biggest car company, will be the star speaker at a press event today in Tokyo, where Toyota's 2015 motorsport plans are to be officially announced.

However, while Toyoda might confirm Toyota is re-entering the WRC for the first time since 1999, it is unlikely to make it to the start line until 2017 when new championship technical rules are scheduled to debut.

motoring.com.au reported in June the strong possibility of Toyota's 2017 WRC return, with Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) in Cologne, Germany, set to undertake the development work and run the team.

TMG has been testing a WRC-spec Yaris for some time out of its own resources, but it is not known whether Yaris will be the vehicle used for the WRC.

Currently Volkswagen (Polo), Citroen (DS3) and Hyundai (i20) all run factory assaults on the WRC, while Ford supports  a semi-works effort with the Fiesta.

TMG currently runs Toyota's World Endurance Championship-winning sports car team and also mounted Toyota's unsuccessful Formula One attack between 2002 and 2009.

But TMG is best known as Toyota's long-time rallying partner. Previously known as Toyota Team Europe, it claimed four drivers' and three manufacturers' world championships as well as infamously being banned from competition in 1995 after being caught cheating in 1994.

Toyota's motorsport press conference kicks off at 3:00pm AEDT. Watch out for our report on what's announced as soon as the embargo lifts at 5:00pm AEDT.

Picture of 1995 East African Safari ST185 Celica courtesy of Garek Laird/Wikimedia Commons