The 2027 Toyota Celica is not a car you can buy yet. What exists is a growing body of evidence, including a Gazoo Racing rally prototype spotted testing through 2026, that Toyota is preparing to bring the Celica nameplate back after it was discontinued in 2006. Toyota has not confirmed a production road car called the Celica for 2027, so everything in this article about the 2027 model should be read as reported or expected rather than official. What follows separates the confirmed hints from the speculation.
What Toyota Has Said About a New Celica
The revival story started with public comments rather than a product plan. In May 2023, Toyota President Koji Sato stated his desire to reintroduce the Celica brand. According to Wikipedia’s summary of reports, Toyota then confirmed in November 2024 that a new Celica was being developed, with a market introduction reported for 2026 or 2027. Toyota has not published specifications, pricing or an on-sale date, and it has not attached the Celica name to any production announcement.
The Celica Nameplate: 1970 to 2006
The Celica was one of Toyota’s longest-running nameplates, produced from December 1970 until April 2006 across seven generations, with model years running from 1971 to 2005. It began as an affordable rear-drive coupe, and in 1978 a six-cylinder variant was spun off as the Celica Supra, which became the standalone Supra in 1986. The high-performance GT-Four versions brought all-wheel drive and turbocharging to the Celica and gave Toyota a formidable World Rally Championship weapon, winning two manufacturers’ titles and four drivers’ titles with the model. When production ended in 2006, the Celica left a gap in Toyota’s lineup that the 86 and later the GR86 only partly filled.
The GR Celica Rally Prototype
The strongest physical evidence for a Celica return is a rally car, not a road car. Gazoo Racing has been testing a two-door coupe prototype for the 2027 World Rally Championship season, designed to replace the dominant GR Yaris Rally1. Carscoops reported the car was first spotted in Portugal in February 2026 and again in Tarragona, Spain in September 2026, this time with WRC champion Ott Tänak at the wheel. The prototype wears a wide bodykit, oversized aero and a prominent hood scoop. Crucially, the rally car and any road car will be entirely different machines: the 2027 WRC regulations require a common tubular spaceframe chassis and a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine, so the powertrain under the camouflage has little in common with what a production Celica would use.
The Reported Road Car
Reports suggest the roadgoing Celica would be a very different proposition from the rally racer. Carscoops states it will likely ride on a TNGA chassis with Toyota’s new turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and a rally-bred all-wheel-drive system. Australian outlet Cars24 has reported the car could use a 2.0-liter hybrid powertrain with all-wheel drive, positioned above the Honda Prelude and priced accordingly. None of this has been confirmed by Toyota. Treat the engine, drivetrain and price as unverified until the company makes an official announcement.
Why a Celica Revival Matters
A reborn Celica would give Toyota a coupe to sit alongside the GR Supra and GR86, and it would sharpen the identity of the Gazoo Racing sub-brand. Toyota has leaned heavily on its motorsport heritage in recent years, and the Celica is one of the most evocative names in its back catalog. It also matters because affordable performance coupes are scarce: the Honda Prelude has returned, the Nissan Z is on sale, and a well-priced Toyota would add competition to a small but enthusiastic segment. Toyota’s Celica heritage page and its GR86 Rally Legacy Concept, a modern tribute to the Celica GT-Four, show how central the name is to that history.
Price, Timing and Expectations
Nothing about the 2027 Celica is settled. Toyota has not confirmed a launch date, a name, a body style, an engine or a price. The most concrete timing cue is the 2027 WRC season, which the race prototype appears to be built for, and the reported 2026-or-2027 window for the road car. Until Toyota publishes details, any specific horsepower, price or release date circulating online should be treated as speculation. Buyers hoping for a modern Celica should watch Toyota’s official motorsport and product announcements rather than dealer chatter.
Our take
A new Celica is the one Toyota revival that could genuinely excite enthusiasts, because the name carries real rally heritage rather than just nostalgia. The caution is that a turbocharged, all-wheel-drive hybrid coupe risks being expensive and heavy rather than the light, affordable fun the original was. If Toyota can keep it near the GR86’s price and give it genuine character, it will have a winner. If it turns into a $60,000-plus flagship, the Celica badge will be doing more work than the car.
FAQ
Is Toyota making a 2027 Celica?
Toyota has not confirmed a production Celica for 2027. It has signaled interest in reviving the name and is developing a rally prototype, but the road car remains unconfirmed.
When was the Celica discontinued?
Celica production ended in April 2006, following seven generations that began in December 1970.
What engine would a new Celica use?
Reports point to a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with all-wheel drive, possibly with hybrid assistance, but Toyota has not confirmed any powertrain.
Related reading: our earlier pieces on the reported 2020 Celica and 2019 Celica, both of which covered revival speculation before Toyota addressed any plans.
