Full Steam Ahead for the Celica
It’s been about 20 years since the last Toyota Celica rolled off the assembly line, but it’s coming back with a vengeance. It’s not like a spur-of-the-moment decision, either, as Toyota had been dropping not-so-subtle hints about its return before finally announcing that it’ll be building it again.
Further hyping it up was the teaser for Gazoo Racing’s World Rally Championship entry for 2027. Granted, Toyota didn’t name the car, but let’s be honest here, this couldn’t be anything else. There’s no specific launch date for it yet, but we can expect it before the end of the decade.
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What We Know so Far
A key detail has been confirmed by Toyota. That would be the use of an all-wheel-drive system, which makes us think the brand will be making a modern-day GT-Four. It’s also been said that the car will come with the new G20E engine and that hybridization is being considered.
The G20E is a new turbocharged 2.0-liter engine derived from the 2.4-liter T24A. The T24 is already installed in several Toyota and Lexus models, and its power ranges from 265 hp to 276 hp. With that in mind, the G20E will be applied to sportier models, serving as the downsized successor to the 3.5-liter 3GR V6 engine.
Promising Performance
Not much is known about the G20E other than its size. However, Auto Express reports that we might be looking at about 450 horsepower out of it. The GR Yaris mid-engined race car/test mule is said to be pushing that much power. It’s a particularly interesting development given that the regular GR Yaris makes about 300 hp. Given that the GR Yaris with the prototype engine is mid-mounted, there’s a good chance the Celica might be mid-engined. Besides, Toyota isn’t confirming or denying anything.
It’s said that Toyota is aiming to make the engine as robust as possible, not just for reliability but also for tunability. It was also reported that it can handle up to 600 hp from the factory, although it’s unlikely Toyota will sell the Celica with that much power right out of the box.
But let’s say that it won’t make 450 hp; the engine still has the potential to be a strong powertrain. If Toyota is serious about making the Celica a serious performance car, we might be looking at 320 hp at the very least, putting it on par with the Civic Type R. And with Honda stubbornly refusing to give the Prelude the Type R treatment, Toyota could have the high-performance coupe market all for itself.
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