Now, before anyone reads that headline and gets too excited, there are caveats. Big ones.
Firstly, the Toyota executive in question, Cooper Ericksen, senior vice president of product planning and strategy at Toyota North America, did not confirm an eighth gen Celica sports coupe will be greenlit for production.
He said, however, that a project that could become a new Celica is in development. This news comes to us via MotorTrend, where Ericksen was unusually forthcoming about an as-yet unofficially confirmed future product. Usually, these folks say nothing more than “no comment.”
But, in this instance, he was downright chatty, telling MotorTrend, “We are working on a product that could theoretically go by the Celica name if we can figure out how to pull it off and it gets approved.”
Ericksen also said the Celica project is in “pretty advanced development”, and that there is at least one test mule that is, presumably, running. While he declined to divulge anything about the car’s looks, or powertrain, he said the latter is unlikely to have any electrification. He added the development vehicle looks nothing like renderings that have been circulating online.
The lack of electrified propulsion might seem unusual for a vehicle in development in 2025, but Ericksen has an explanation for that. Akio Toyoda, the chairman of Toyota Motor Corp. thinks the internal combustion engine is better for high-performance vehicles, such as the company’s GR cars.
“Akio has said when it comes to specialized GR performance products, it is very difficult to replicate that emotional driving feel out on track with something other than traditional ICE (internal combustion engine),” he said.
He went on to say, “I’m not closing the door to a vehicle that is ultra-lightweight, that has a super-advanced system but is still a traditional ICE. It could be something thar does not have an electric drive.”
For as exciting as a potential GR Celica might sound, Ericksen was quick to reiterate that the project hasn’t been officially approved, and that the final decision lies with the Toyota mothership in Japan.
The return of the Celica, which has been out of Toyota’s global lineup since 2006, and hasn’t been sold in North America since 2005, would likely receive a warm welcome from enthusiasts everywhere.
We, at PASMAG, speculated on that return a couple months back in an episode of our OEM YouTube show Factory Fresh. It seems our speculating wasn't too far off, even if it's a bit early for celebrating.
“It’s a big wait-and-see. I’m just hopeful we can get something,” Ericksen told MotorTrend.
We couldn’t agree more.
Photos courtesy of Toyota
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