New Toyota Celica confirmed as part of rally plans for 2027

Hang on, is the Toyota Celica coming back?

It is, but we'll come to that in a moment. First off, there's Toyota's rally team to contend with, which will now come in two parts. There will be a squad using the new GR Celica Rally1 car, which will include 2026 title winner Elfyn Evans, joined by Oliver Solberg (who literally lost the title to Evans this year at the very last corner of the very last stage) and Finnish sensation Sami Pajari. They will form the Toyota Racing rally team. Alongside them, and campaigning the GR Yaris Rally1 car, will be a team under the Gazoo Racing Toyota banner, which will include previous WRC champion Ott Tänak, Takamoto Katsuta, and WRC legend Kalle Rovanperä, who's returning to rallying after a year's sabbatical.

Is the Celica rally car the same as the new road car?

Not quite. The Rally1 car which will be called Celica isn't actually the new Celica. The new-for-2027 regulations stipulate that the WRC will essentially become a silhouette formula, with a production-car-style body laid over a purpose-built tubular chassis. However, if you're going to bring back an all-time classic name to the rally stages, it makes sense to then also bring that name back to showrooms, right?

What will the new Toyota Celica be like?

It's going to be mid-engined for a start, which is a first for a car with the Celica name, and it looks as if it will be powered by Toyota's new G20E four-cylinder petrol engine, which in racing spec is capable of producing more than 500hp, maybe even more than 600hp, but which is more likely to be pegged at around 250 to 300hp for the production Celica. The engine can be turbocharged, but we're hoping for a naturally aspirated application for the new Celica.

Will the new Celica be rear-wheel drive?

The early prototypes of the Celica seem to have been rear-wheel drive, but there has been some comment coming from within Toyota that suggests the final production model will be four-wheel drive, in large part so that there's a real connection to the rally car.

Why is Toyota bringing back the Celica?

Partly, it's down to romance. Company president Akio Toyoda has spoken on many occasions about bringing back the 'three brothers': the Celica, the MR2, and the Supra. The Supra has already been resurrected (with help from BMW) and so now it's the Celica's turn. It probably doesn't hurt that the Honda Prelude, while it hasn't been a huge seller, has garnered Honda plenty of praise and column inches.

Will Toyota bring back the MR2 too?

Possibly, but don't hold your breath. It may depend on how successful, or otherwise, the new Celica is, and it may also be that Toyota is plotting an all-electric MR2, as a potential rival to the incoming battery-powered Porsche 718 twins. Toyota has previously shown a concept car that hinted at an electric MR2.

Will Toyota dominate the WRC again in 2027?

Maybe, maybe not. Toyota has certainly been the dominant force in rallying for the past few seasons, but the Rally1 rules reset gives its rivals a chance to snatch back the lead. Those rivals are Hyundai and, of course, Ford, which is building up for a full-on works team return in 2028. We shall see.