Chairman of the Board of Directors of Toyota Group, Akio Toyodatalked about a possible return to Toyota Celicaduring an interview published on the official website Toyota Times on the occasion of the Hokkaido Rally, the seventh stage All Japan Rally Championship.

The one who also calls himself Morizo ​​Kinoshita in chains said that he asked those responsible for the Japanese brand restart Celica : “I say this not only because we are at the rally, but Juha Kankkunen is Mr. Celika. He was a four-time Celica champion. Now you all might be wondering why I use Kankkunen so much. Let’s see if you can guess! »

The grandson of the founder of Toyota Motor Corporation, however, restrains his comments: “Some people are tired of listening to what Morisot has to say. But in a sense it is diversification. Without these people, the Prius would not be what it is. »

Toyota Celica: to the 8th generation?

Akio Toyoda isn’t the only Toyota executive who wants the Celica back: in fact, a few months ago, new Toyota CEO Koji Sato said he’d like to see the eighth generation of the famous sports coupe.

Although we know that Toyota wants to bring to market a full range of sports models with this badge “GR” Toyota Gazoo Racing, however, in the current automotive context, it’s hard to imagine an “old-fashioned” sports coupe on the market in the coming years, even with the Celica moniker.

Instead of a powerful 100% heat engine, a hypothetical future Celica could adopt a hybrid engineor even 100% electric : the presentation of the Toyota FT-Se concept at the upcoming 2023 Tokyo Motor Show is already setting the tone, heralding a next-generation 100% electric sports coupe.

Already 7 generations of success since 1970

Toyota Celica is an important model of the Japanese car: it was first introduced in 1970 year, is one of Toyota’s most famous cars, as it has been updated for a total of seven generations. Revealed in 1999, the last opus of the famous coupe was discontinued in 2006, after 35 years of career and more than 4 million copies releasedleaving him no successor… At least for now.

The Celica also excelled in competition, winning two manufacturers’ rally championships and two drivers’ championships between 1990 and 1994. The Toyota Celica GT-Four driven by Carlos Sainz, Didier Oriol and Juha Kankkunen is undoubtedly one of the 10 most iconic cars. cars in rally history.

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Source: Toyota Times