A New Toyota Celica Is Coming — And It’ll Burn Gas

You read that right. Toyota’s working on a new Celica, and the kicker? It’s not an EV.

The coupe’s return has been floating around in renderland for months, but now we have something real. Toyota execs just confirmed that an eighth-generation Celica is in active development, with running mules and dealer previews already in the wild. Forget the AI concept, you haven’t seen the real thing yet.

ICE Isn’t Dead Yet

Toyota’s not chasing trends here. According to Cooper Ericksen, VP of Product Planning, this Celica might stay firmly in the internal-combustion camp. “I’m not closing the door to a vehicle that is ultra lightweight, that has a super advanced system, but is still a traditional ICE,” he told MotorTrend.

That puts the Celica squarely against cars like the (hybrid) Honda Prelude, but with a purist’s edge.

Chairman Akio Toyoda’s own racing-first mindset plays a role here, too. Toyota believes the raw, analog driving experience can’t be faked with batteries and motors, especially in the GR lineup.

GR Roots, Global Plans

This isn’t a North America-led project, and that makes timing slippery. What we do know is this: there are prototypes, real-world testing is happening, and insiders say it’s well into the development cycle. Whether it lands first in Japan or gets a global rollout remains to be seen.

If it makes production (and we’re betting it will), the Celica will slot into Toyota’s Gazoo Racing family alongside the GR86, GR Corolla, and Supra.

It’s Toyota saying: maybe driving should still feel like driving.