It’s (considerably) confirmed! Toyota’s government vice chairman and chief expertise officer Hiroki Nakajima has reportedly introduced that the much-beloved Celica is making a return. The manager let slip the tongue-in-cheek comment final weekend throughout a fan occasion at Rally Japan, the ultimate spherical of the World Rally Championship (WRC), in response to Greatest Automotive.
The interplay began when the publication’s former editor-in-chief Hitoshi Hongo requested Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda, “Is the Celica going to be launched?” On condition that Toyoda was not an government on the firm, he threw the query at Nakajima: “There are executives right here at present, so let’s ask them.”
Nakajima then revealed what had hitherto been the corporate’s worst-kept secret. “To be trustworthy, there isn’t a signal of it proper now. Nevertheless, there are various individuals throughout the firm who’re eagerly awaiting the Celica. So…I’m undecided if it’s okay to say this in a public discussion board, however we’re doing the Celica!”
Toyoda tried to downplay Nakajima’s feedback in jest, saying, “Are you okay? There are lots of difficulties. Greatest Automotive wrote [that Toyota is making a Celica], however we shouldn’t consider that.” However Nakajima as a substitute doubled down: “They haven’t mentioned when it will likely be launched, so it could possibly be subsequent yr.”
Now, this interplay was clearly meant to be humorous and was totally in Japanese; as such, the nuances might have been misplaced in translation and these remarks ought to due to this fact be taken with a pinch of salt. However even earlier than this, Toyota had been coyly hinting on the sports activities automobile’s revival – the corporate’s personal Toyota Occasions publication has written two articles over the previous yr that clearly referenced rumours of the Celica’s return, together with a retrospective of the automobile.
Probably the most blatant trace, nonetheless, got here earlier this month in a newly-released Toyota USA anime, which all-too-briefly listed an eighth-generation Celica alongside a fourth-generation MR2, a third-generation GR86, a sixth-generation GR Supra and a GR GT3.
And what of Nakajima’s remark that the automobile could possibly be launched someday subsequent yr? Effectively, Toyota introduced that its WRC workforce’s principal Jari-Matti Latvala will probably be getting into the European Historic Rally Championship in his personal ST185 Celica – the identical one which helped Toyota clinch three consecutive WRC titles from 1992 to 1994. What higher option to promote a brand new Celica than to dovetail it with Latvala’s exploits?
Bear in mind, Toyota already has the suitable engine to energy a brand new Celica. Earlier this yr, the corporate revealed a brand new, high-output 2.0 litre turbo four-cylinder mill designed particularly for sports activities automobiles. The facility plant is being developed to supply considerably better efficiency in comparison with its present Dynamic Power 2.4 litre unit within the Alphard/Vellfire and numerous Lexus fashions, regardless of being 10% smaller.
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