The imminent rebirth of the iconic Toyota Celica has been rumoured to be just around the corner for several years now, but has Toyota already given us a sneak peek at the much-rumoured coupe?
Japanese publication Best Car - that often has very accurate inside info - claims that its contacts inside Toyota have confirmed that the GR Yaris M Concept revealed at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January was actually a GR Celica in disguise, and that the car that will compete at the fifth round of the Super Taikyu race series on the 26th of this month will essentially be a GR Celica wearing a GR Yaris body.
At the time of the concept's reveal it was widely speculated, largely due to its mid-engined layout, that it may indeed be a reborn MR2 under the Yaris skin, but Best Car's sources say otherwise, naming the Celica as the nameplate to be resurrected.
Rumours of Toyota reviving both the Celica and MR2 have swirled around ever since the GR Supra launched in 2019, but in an interview with Best Car magazine earlier this year, Toyota Executive Vice President, Hiroki Nakajima revealed that the two cars were one in the same, with the possibility of it wearing either name.
"To be honest, there’s nothing tangible at the moment," Nakajima told Best Car. "However, there’s strong demand within the company for the Celica. So, is it okay to say this publicly? We’re doing the Celica!"
According to the Best Car, the GR Celica will use Toyota's next-generation four-cylinder turbo petrol engine that will be capable of producing as much as 300kW. It will also likely have a carbon fibre roof and bonnet, and that the overall height of the car will be just 1.2 metres.
The final rumour suggests that there may be a bit more of a wait for a new Celica yet though - Best Car says that Toyota may be preparing to reveal it at the 2027 Tokyo motor show. Until then we likely won't no anything concrete about a new Celica (or MR2), but it's sounding very promising indeed so far.