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# Toyota Celica return one step closer as rally program confirmed
- URL: https://torquecafe.com/car-news-toyota-gr-celica-2027-wrc-rally-details/
- Published: 2026-11-03T23:05:36.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T23:05:36.000Z
- Description: The Toyota Celica nameplate is making a comeback 20 years after production of the sports car ended – at least in the World Rally Championship.
- Author: Jordan Mulach
- Tags: News, Performance

Toyota has confirmed one of the longest running rumours in the car industry, announcing the revival of the Celica name, set to be used on its 2027 WRC challenger.

For the 2027 season, Toyota’s global rally efforts will be split into two teams, with Toyota Racing to campaign the new GR Celica Rally1 car, while Gazoo Racing Toyota will race with the 2027-specification GR Yaris Rally 1 car.

Piloting the GR Celica will be 2026 WRC champion Elfyn Evans, 2026 runner-up Oliver Solberg, and Sami Pajari, with 2019 champion Ott Tänak, 2022-2023 champion Kalle Rovanperä, and Takamoto Katsuta to pilot the GR Yaris.

The announcement has not only resurrected the Celica name, but confirmed previous reports that Toyota was [testing its new challenger earlier this year](https://x.com/RallyeSport/status/2027010742164103294?ref=torquecafe.com), albeit without a road car for it to be based on.

> Premières images de la Toyota WRC27 en essais au Portugal #WRC Photos : Marcio Pereira https://t.co/JLDMR9ejMn
> 
> — Rallye Sport (@RallyeSport) [February 26, 2026](https://x.com/RallyeSport/status/2027010742164103294?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=torquecafe.com)

According to Toyota, the GR Celica rally car – as well as the revised GR Yaris Rally1 machine – will be homologated “for completion before the end of this year, further details regarding the two cars and their liveries will be released prior to the 2027 season.”

The [most recent reports](https://torquecafe.com/car-news-2026-toyota-celica-corolla-hybrid/) of the Celica road car’s return, published by[ *Autocar*](https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/toyota-celica-set-be-revived-awd-hybrid?ref=torquecafe.com), claim the sports coupe will use the underpinnings of the Toyota Corolla hybrid, a measure which will keep costs in check, and link the incoming sports coupe to its previous generations.

Past versions of the Celica often shared their chassis or key components with the Toyota Carina or Corolla, at least in more widely available grades outside of the flagship, rally homologation-bred GT-Four.

It’s a familiar play in the entry-level sports car scene too. Recently, Honda relaunched the Prelude nameplate, basing its two-door coupe on the Civic, with the pair sharing hybrid engines, though the former gets some trick parts from the performance Civic Type R.

![Toyota's second-most recent Celica](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/b3/a9b3e204-3117-4792-9a32-46184029df44/content/images/2026/11/toyota_celica_zr.jpg)

*Autocar* has[ previously reported](https://torquecafe.com/toyota-news-celica-sport-gr-hybrid-details/) the Celica will come back as the Celica Sport, and – like the Corolla – be offered with hybrid power, mated with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, currently under development as the replacement for the 1.6-litre three-cylinder in the GR Corolla and GR Yaris.

Speaking to the publication in March, GR marketing manager Mikio Hayashi said the brand’s future sports car (expected to be the Celica) is likely to be powered by Toyota’s new turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine.

“The displacement size of 1.6 litres \[used in the GR Yaris\], for example, cannot meet emission regulations. So we have to consider the possibility of a 2.0-litre,” Hayashi said.

![Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/b3/a9b3e204-3117-4792-9a32-46184029df44/content/images/2026/11/celica-GT-Four-2-e1665670160590-1.jpg)

ST205 Toyota Celica GT-Four

“We are thinking about various sizes, but we are not at a stage where we can tell you exactly what size it is. Nothing has been decided yet about whether it will be a standard hybrid or plug-in hybrid.

“We are continuing to develop that \[2.0-litre engine\]. We have high expectations. We cannot point to a timeline but can say we are making steady progress.”

The new ‘G20E’ turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine is expected to succeed the 1.6-litre three-cylinder which powers the GR Yaris and GR Corolla for Toyota’s entry-level, all-wheel drive performance products.

[Is Toyota testing a new MR2 or Celica?Mystery surrounds a new Toyota prototype spied testing at Fuji, with rumours it could either be the returning MR2 or Celica.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/b3/a9b3e204-3117-4792-9a32-46184029df44/content/images/icon/cropped-favicon-86abe93b-c440-43f1-a812-2bc01dcfe19e.png)TorquecafeJordan Mulach![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/b3/a9b3e204-3117-4792-9a32-46184029df44/content/images/thumbnail/Toyota-mr2-celica-test-c61e7e9e-69c6-4ff5-9b42-e402bdb85d12.jpg)](https://torquecafe.com/is-toyota-testing-a-new-mr2-or-celica/)

However, it’s also expected to appear in the flagship GR Celica, upon which the rally car will be based, staying true to its roots by offering all-wheel drive.

While all previous Celicas have been front-engined, reports from Japan last year [claimed the new model will go all-wheel drive](https://torquecafe.com/toyota-celica-revival-takes-an-unexpected-turn/), and potentially take the place of the also long-rumoured MR2 revival.

Since last year, Toyota has been racing a GR Yaris which has been converted to be mid-engined in Japan’s Super Taikyu racing series, with the M Concept believed to be a testbed for a production car, while it [debuted a new bespoke model](https://torquecafe.com/is-toyota-testing-a-new-mr2-or-celica/) halfway through this year.