Toyota Dealers Got a Sneak Peek at the New Celica
Although we haven't seen any spy shots yet, Toyota has been discussing the potential return of the Celica for a little over two years. The company even dropped a blink-and-you'll-miss-it
pseudo teaser
during season two of its Grip anime series. An eighth generation of the affordable sports car is still in the works and is currently in 'pretty advanced development,' according to the senior VP of product planning for North America.
Cooper Ericksen told
MotorTrend
that Toyota has running mules of the reborn Celica out and about. Not only that, but behind closed doors, dealers have been allowed to take an early look at prototypes and design sketches. The car's styling remains a mystery, but Ericksen noted that all the renderings flooding social media are wrong. As for what will power it, he didn't rule out a pure internal combustion engine, but he also didn't dismiss the possibility of electrification.
Photo by: Toyota
If it goes the hybrid route, the new Celica could compete with another resurrected nameplate beloved by enthusiasts: the
Honda Prelude
. A fully electric version seems unlikely, especially since Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda recently expressed a preference for sports cars that have 'the
smell of gasoline and a noisy engine
.'
Although a new Celica hasn't been officially greenlit for North America, the fact that it's in an advanced development phase makes us believe it's on the way. If, somehow, it doesn't reach the United States, it wouldn't be the first Gazoo Racing product denied a US visa. America doesn't get the GR Yaris, a diminutive hot hatch that would undercut the GR Corolla here. There's also another forbidden fruit powered by the same turbocharged three-cylinder engine: Japan's
Lexus LBX Morizo RR
.
The lack of photographic evidence likely means we're in for a long wait to see the next-gen Celica. In the best-case scenario, we can't imagine the car going on sale any earlier than 2027. But the Celica isn't the only fun car Toyota has in the pipeline. The company has already announced that the Supra will return, and something will surely emerge from the wicked
mid-engine concept
we saw earlier this year. Perhaps a new MR2? The car's name also appeared in the teaser.
Photo by: Toyota
Let's not forget that Toyota has also teased a purely electric sports car. The last update on the
FT-Se concept
indicated it's still in development. Hideaki Iida, project manager for the Gazoo Racing Design Group, told sister site
InsideEVs
the spicy EV is due after 2026. Chief engineer Fumihiko Hazama mentioned a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup, a next-generation battery pack, and a 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) time of just three seconds.
However, the most intriguing performance car from Toyota may carry a different badge. The
GR GT3 concept
is expected to evolve into a street-legal Lexus supercar, potentially named the 'LFR.' It's rumored to feature a newly developed twin-turbo V-8, although nothing has been confirmed. Expect this flagship performance machine to break cover sooner rather than later.
While sports cars remain a niche market,
Toyota
gives us hope for a more thrilling future. Still, it raises the question of where a new Celica would fit in the lineup, considering the GR86 is here to stay and the Supra won't be gone for long. With the GR-branded Yaris, Corolla, 86, Celica, Supra, MR2, and the LFR all potentially coexisting, things could get crowded in a few years. Not that we're complaining, but the bean counters might.
Fun Toyotas:
The Toyota Supra Won't Stay Dead For Long
Confirmed: Toyota Will Make the GR Corolla In the UK
Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily.
back
Sign up
For more information, read our
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use
.
Source:
MotorTrend
Share this Story
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
Flipboard
Reddit
WhatsApp
E-Mail
Got a tip for us? Email:
tips@motor1.com
Join the conversation
(
)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Drive
an hour ago
- The Drive
You're Welcome, Europe: US Demand for Toyota GR Corolla Could Bring It Overseas
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Dear Europe: You're welcome. After years of importing your best performance cars, we're finally returning the favor from the other side of the pond—indirectly, anyway. Because while Toyota doesn't build the GR Corolla in North America, our demand for it has been so overwhelming that the company has decided to add another production line in the U.K., predominantly for American export, to supplement the hot hatches Toyota churns out of its Motomachi plant in Japan. At first, it seemed like these U.K.-built cars wouldn't be offered for local sale, which would've been a grave injustice. But now, a Toyota executive has hinted that might not be the case. 'We have a philosophy that you build where you sell, so to build in Europe and not sell in Europe would be counter to that,' Toyota Europe COO Matt Harrison told Auto Express last week. 'The gap between supply and demand is now, so it's about how quickly we can get it. We need to act fast.' That's about as big a confirmation as you'll ever hear anyone with the letter 'C' in their job title drop, without it counting as a done deal. It's also the first time Toyota has officially indicated it would like to bring the hot hatch to the continent, where, let's be honest, rallying is given the respect it deserves. The Celica GT-Four and Corolla WRC are the reason why the GR Yaris exists, and the GR Corolla happened because Toyota didn't want those of us who don't get a Yaris of any flavor to miss out entirely. The interior of a 2024 Toyota GR Corolla. Nico DeMattia The GR Yaris is undeniably cool, but it's also very tiny. I'll admit that when I first learned Toyota was planning to sell a GR version of the Corolla stateside, I was disappointed. Of course, America gets the bigger, heavier version of the same car without the direct link to a WRC contender. But I came around and, having lived with mine for roughly a year and a half now, I don't know how I could've made the Yaris work anyway. The GR Corolla has a somewhat cramped interior as it is, so I can't begin to imagine the games of grocery store Tetris that Yaris owners have to play from time to time. Plus, it's still a riot. We've reached out to Toyota Europe personnel for a bit more insight into Harrison's comment, and will update this story with whatever we learn. In the meantime, Europe, I hope you enjoy the hot hatch it sounds like you'll be getting. I think you will. Got a tip? Email us at tips@
Wall Street Journal
4 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
Senate Weighs Effectively Killing Rule That Drove Rise of Fuel-Efficient Cars
The Senate is weighing a major change to federal fuel-economy rules that would kneecap the policy that dramatically reduced gas consumption and helped create fuel-efficient cars like the Toyota Prius hybrid. Republican senators are proposing a change to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, rules as part of President Trump's wide-ranging tax and spending bill. If enacted, the proposal would eliminate fines for violating CAFE, all but nullifying rules that for generations have pushed automakers to churn out ever cleaner and more fuel-efficient vehicles. That technology has saved two trillion gallons of gasoline over the past 50 years, according to the journal Energy Policy.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Huawei Patents Solid-State Battery That Would Let You Road Trip From Miami To Maine On A Single Charge
Toyota is currently working on solid-state batteries it says will allow it to build 900-mile EVs, but while many would call that overkill, dads across the country know it isn't enough. We need more range if EVs are ever going to be good enough for a proper road trip, and if Huawei can deliver on its latest solid-state battery patent, we may almost be there. That's because it offers more than 1,800 miles of range on a single charge, CarNewsChina reports. For context, that's enough range to drive from Miami, Florida, to Bangor, Maine, without stopping. That said, China's range estimates are even more generous than Europe's, which means you may only get 1,200 or 1,300 miles out of a battery like that in the United States. Pitiful, I know. At that point, there's basically no reason to even bring your external catheter on a road trip. Not that the U.S. would allow Chinese battery tech to be sold here in the first place or invest in catching up. Our EV tech will stay generations behind China's, and we will like it. From the sound of it, the real value in this patent is the battery's energy density: The patent outlines a solid-state battery architecture with energy densities between 400 and 500 Wh/kg, potentially two to three times that of conventional lithium-ion cells. The filing also details a novel approach to improving electrochemical stability: doping sulfide electrolytes with nitrogen to address side reactions at the lithium interface, a long-standing obstacle to the commercialisation of sulfide-based batteries. Huawei's design aims to boost safety and cycle life by mitigating degradation at this critical junction. Read more: These Supercars Lose Value So Quickly, They're Almost A Steal Allegedly, given a big enough charger, Huawei says it could charge the battery in about five minutes, too. That would require an absolutely absurd amount of power, but it isn't like companies in China aren't working on that, too. BYD has already shown off a Megawatt charger that's capable of adding 250 miles of range in about five minutes. Early versions would also likely cost a small fortune, though, and it's also hard to see how practical Megawatt charging would be in the remote areas where people might actually use it. But while BYD does actually plan to build at least some of those Megawatt chargers, don't be surprised if Huawei's 1,800-mile solid-state battery ends up being more of a tech demonstration than anything else. Instead, it seems much more likely that the batteries that will ultimately make their way into production cars will be smaller and therefore lighter. A battery that's a third the size of the 1,800-mile battery would still offer more than enough range for a road trip while also drastically reducing weight. Considering how heavy EV batteries are — the battery in the Hummer EV weighs nearly 3,000 pounds — if there's one thing EVs need, it's less weight. So while Huawei's 1,800-mile battery is still theoretical for now, it's still cool to see battery tech advancing to the point where, in a few years, we may see long-range EVs that weigh about the same as gas-powered cars. At least in other countries outside the U.S., since Republicans have decided they'd rather just turn us into a technological backwater. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
