The Toyota GR Celica is officially back, but first as a rally car: Toyota confirmed on November 3, 2026, that a new GR Celica Rally1 will race in the 2027 World Rally Championship. It is the first time Toyota has officially used the Celica name for a new model in about 20 years.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing announced the plan at its base in Jyvaskyla, Finland, in a release that appeared at about 1:00 PM IST on November 3. The team will split into two squads with two different cars and six drivers, including world champions Elfyn Evans, Ott Tanak and Kalle Rovanpera.
What Toyota has not confirmed is a road-going Celica. Here is what is official and what is still speculation.
What did Toyota confirm about the GR Celica?
Toyota confirmed that a new car called the GR Celica Rally1 will compete in the 2027 WRC, run by a team named TOYOTA RACING. A second team, GAZOO Racing TOYOTA, will run a new 2027 GR Yaris Rally1. Both cars follow the same new rules, with equal power and performance, and will compete as equals for wins.
The team says homologation should be finished before the end of 2026, and that more details and liveries will be shown before the season. Road & Track reports that the Celica is due to be ready for Rally Monte Carlo in late January, the traditional season opener. On the day of the announcement, the team was completing six days of rally-simulation testing with its 2027 prototype in the forests of central Finland.
Who will drive the GR Celica Rally1?
The GR Celica Rally1 will be driven by Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin, the 2026 world champions, along with Oliver Solberg and Sami Pajari for TOYOTA RACING. Ott Tanak, Takamoto Katsuta and Kalle Rovanpera will drive the GR Yaris Rally1 for GAZOO Racing TOYOTA, with Rovanpera doing selected events only.
| Team | Car | Crews |
|---|---|---|
| TOYOTA RACING | GR Celica Rally1 | Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin; Oliver Solberg; Sami Pajari |
| GAZOO Racing TOYOTA | 2027 GR Yaris Rally1 | Ott Tanak / Martin Jarveoja; Takamoto Katsuta / Aaron Johnston; Kalle Rovanpera / Jonne Halttunen (partial season) |
Tanak returns to the team seven years after winning the 2019 title with Toyota, and the Estonian pair won 10 rounds in their earlier two seasons. Rovanpera, the youngest-ever world champion with titles in 2022 and 2023, returns after a year away. Katsuta won his first WRC rallies in Kenya and Croatia in 2026 and became the first Japanese driver to lead the championship.
What do the 2027 WRC rules mean for the Celica?
The 2027 rules aim to make the top Rally1 class cheaper and more open. According to Road & Track, Rally1 cars will use a spaceframe chassis, a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, and suspension, running gear and brakes homologated from the Rally2 class. So the Celica and Yaris rally cars will be mechanically similar under different bodies.
Toyota says the aim is to give every driver a car capable of winning, and to field up to six factory cars on each rally. Road & Track adds that the rules require at least 10 units of a rally model to be built within 24 months of homologation, and that a maker must be able to supply at least 10 race-ready cars a year to customers. Those rules apply to rally cars, not road cars.
Is a road-going Toyota Celica coming?
Toyota has not announced a road-going Celica. Road & Track notes that a Toyota North America executive said late last year that a model that could be the Celica was in “pretty advanced development”. Auto Express reports it will be a mid-engined sports car, but Toyota has not confirmed the shape, engine, power or seating.
Toyota executives have previously said a new Celica would likely keep a combustion engine. Trademark filings for the GR Celica name have also been reported since early 2025. None of that equals a launch date, so treat road-car stories as informed speculation until Toyota shows the car itself.
Toyota GR Celica: confirmed vs not confirmed
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| GR Celica Rally1 in the 2027 WRC | Confirmed by Toyota |
| Two teams, two cars, six drivers | Confirmed |
| Same rules and equal performance as GR Yaris Rally1 | Confirmed |
| Debut at Rally Monte Carlo, late January 2027 | Reported by Road & Track |
| Rally car looks and livery | Not shown yet |
| Road-going Celica | Not confirmed |
| Mid-engined layout for a road car | Reported by Auto Express; not confirmed |
Why does the Celica name matter in rallying?
The Celica is one of the most famous names in rally history. The Celica GT-Four took drivers’ world titles in the early 1990s with Carlos Sainz, Juha Kankkunen and Didier Auriol, and helped Toyota win manufacturers’ crowns. Road-car production ended in 2006, so bringing the name back through the WRC links Toyota’s past and present.
Toyota also announced a broader investment in its rally base. A day earlier, on November 2, it held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new technical centre at Majajarvi near Jyvaskyla. The TGR-WRT name stays with the Finnish development company that builds and runs the cars. That investment suggests Toyota sees rallying as a long-term programme, not a one-season marketing stunt for a single model.
CarBike Insight Analysis
The Toyota GR Celica announcement is clever marketing. By launching the name in the WRC, Toyota gives a legendary badge a fresh story long before any customer car exists, much as it has used racing concepts such as the GR Yaris M Concept to hint at future sports cars.
The two-team plan also matters for the sport. Six factory cars from one maker could crowd the podium, but the new rules are meant to bring in more teams. Splitting Toyota’s effort into two badged teams also gives the company two names to promote, Celica and Yaris, instead of one. If the Celica wins early, demand for a road car will only grow, and Toyota will have built the hype without spending a showroom launch. Young champions are lifting interest in motorsport worldwide, as our story on Kimi Antonelli’s F1 title showed.
For India, there is no Celica on the horizon, and Toyota’s focus here is on SUVs and hybrids such as the new Toyota Fortuner due on December 1. Our view: enjoy the Celica as a rally story for now. If a road car follows, it will most likely be a low-volume enthusiast model for global markets rather than a mass-market launch.
FAQ
Is the Toyota GR Celica coming back?
Yes, as a rally car. Toyota confirmed on November 3, 2026, that the GR Celica Rally1 will race in the 2027 World Rally Championship with the TOYOTA RACING team. A road-going Celica has not been officially announced yet.
Who drives the GR Celica Rally1?
The 2027 TOYOTA RACING line-up for the GR Celica Rally1 is reigning champion Elfyn Evans with co-driver Scott Martin, plus Oliver Solberg and Sami Pajari. Ott Tanak, Takamoto Katsuta and Kalle Rovanpera will drive the GR Yaris Rally1.
When will the Toyota Celica WRC car race?
Road & Track reports the Celica rally car should be ready for Rally Monte Carlo in late January 2027, the season opener. Toyota says homologation will be completed before the end of 2026, with liveries revealed before the season starts.
Will there be a new Toyota Celica 2027 road car?
Toyota has not confirmed one. An executive said a car that could be the Celica was in advanced development, and Auto Express reports a mid-engined layout, but the shape, engine, power and launch timing of any road car remain unknown.
Will the Toyota GR Celica come to India?
There is no announcement for India. The confirmed GR Celica is a WRC rally car, not a road model. If Toyota later builds a road version, an India launch would depend on global plans that the company has not shared.
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