Toyota has officially confirmed the return of the Celica nameplate, announcing that a new GR Celica will compete in the 2027 World Rally Championship. While the rally car is nearing its competition debut, a road-going version is also under development, though its arrival could still be years away.
Toyota GR Celica Set for 2027 World Rally Championship
Toyota confirmed that the GR Celica will enter the World Rally Championship for the 2027 season, coinciding with new regulations designed to make top-level rallying more accessible to teams.
Camouflaged prototypes of the rally car have been testing in public for months, but the competition model and the future road car will follow different development paths.
The rally car benefits from a new control chassis that will be shared by all teams competing in the revised Rally1 premier category in 2027. That common platform has accelerated its development.
Teams will also use engines derived from the current Rally2 category, specifically turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four units.
Toyota plans to field two Rally1 teams next year. Toyota Racing will compete with the new GR Celica, while Gazoo Racing will campaign the GR Yaris.
Rally Car Offers Limited Clues About the Road Model
Although the GR Celica rally car provides an early look at the styling direction of the upcoming road car, it reveals little about the production model’s mechanical configuration.
The rally version will use a front-mounted engine, as required for the Rally1 cars competing next year. The road-going Celica, meanwhile, has been rumored to use a new mid-engine platform currently under development.
However, Toyota has not officially confirmed that the production Celica will adopt a mid-engine layout.
The distinction between the two vehicles means the rally car’s specifications offer limited insight into the eventual road model.
Toyota Celica Road Car Could Arrive Later This Decade
Gazoo Racing boss Tomoya Takahashi said earlier this year that the new mid-engine platform had reached only the first of four development stages.
He suggested that the showroom launch could take place closer to the end of the decade.
Toyota has encountered development challenges with the platform, which has been tested using modified GR Yaris body shells. That work recently progressed to a full race-spec car competing in Japan’s Super Taikyu racing series.
The lengthy development process means the road-going Celica remains further away than its rally counterpart.
New Toyota G20E Engine Targets 450 Horsepower
Toyota is also developing a new turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four engine for the mid-engine platform.
Known by the code name G20E, the engine is claimed to produce around 450 horsepower in standard form.
A milder naturally aspirated version could also be used in a future GR 86.
The new engine and platform are expected to support Toyota’s future sports car development, although the company has not confirmed the final powertrain specifications for the road-going Celica.
Could Toyota Also Bring Back the MR2?
The new mid-engine platform could have applications beyond the Celica, potentially supporting another Toyota sports car revival.
A modern MR2 could be among the possibilities, raising the prospect of Toyota bringing back both nameplates.
The race prototype associated with the platform has a significantly sleeker profile than the GR Celica Rally1 car, hinting at a possible production design for a future MR2.
However, Toyota has not officially confirmed an MR2 revival or established how the platform will be used across future models.
Toyota Has Yet to Confirm a Mid-Engine Celica
Despite the rumors surrounding the new platform, Toyota has not confirmed that the upcoming road-going Celica will be mid-engine.
Historically, the Celica nameplate has used a front-engine layout.
For now, Toyota’s confirmed plans center on the GR Celica’s 2027 World Rally Championship debut, while development of the production sports car continues.
