A Toyota Exec just confirmed the revival of the Celica

There were rumors about a Toyota The Celica revival is about a year away, but it looks like it’s finally been confirmed — or at least as close to confirmation as we’re going to get before we see any actual photos of the car. Speaking on stage at WRC Rally Japan, Toyota Vice President Yuki Nakajima told the crowd that the eighth generation Celica is in development.

“Honestly, there is no sign of that right now,” said the head of the Japanese company The best cartranslated into English. “However, there are many people in the company who are looking forward to the Celica. So… I’m not sure if it’s okay to say this in a public forum, but we’re making a Celica!”

Of course, the translation is not accurate, but The best car reports this as proof that a new Celica is on the way. This news comes just a couple of weeks after the revival of the Celica teased in the Toyota anime serieswhich had ‘Celica Mk8’ written on the board with future plans. And while there have also been rumors of an electric Toyota sports car in the past, with names like the Celica and the MR2, it looks like Toyota is sticking with the internal combustion system for that one.

On the question of the next generation GR86and what engine it will have, Nakajima suggested that Toyota will build one instead of borrowing another brand’s engine. The inspiration reportedly came from asking Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda what his favorite engines were. According to Nakajima, the answers were Subaru’s boxer engine and Mazda’s rotary engine. The lack of a Toyota engine in Toyoda’s answer is said to have lit a fire in the belly of the brand’s engineers.

“It inspired all of Toyota’s engine developers. We will create an engine that Moriza will (not) want to leave behind. It’s not about whether we can release it or not, whether we leave it or not, but we’re going to release it!”

If Toyota develops a new engine for the GR86, it could be the same engine that will be used in the future Celica, because it would not be wise to develop two new engines. It could also hint at the Celica going back to its rear-wheel-drive roots, as it would make more sense for both cars to use the same transmission rather than the same engine in both transverse and longitudinal arrangements.

The news also comes weeks after Toyota re-registered the ‘Celica’ nameplate in a patent application found by the Australian Drive. Car companies often trademark to secure their future in case the brand decides to go into production one day. However, the timing is ironic. Toyota executives did not provide any other information about the Celica’s future, such as whether it will be front- or rear-wheel drive. Moreover, a representative of the North American division of the company said Car and driver in an article published today, it “does not comment on future products.”

Details are really scarce, but for now it will be enough to have the strongest indications that the Celica will return.

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