Is this a preview of the 2027 Toyota Celica?

I personally hope not, but who knows. It really does seem like the Toyota Celica is preparing to make a comeback later this year or sometime next year. Still, what we’re seeing right now might not be it at all.

The images circulating online show a brand-new Toyota race car being tested for the World Rally Championship. Toyota usually runs a GR Yaris-based body in WRC competition, but this time the prototype looks completely different. And as you can clearly see, this is not a GR Yaris. Unless Toyota is planning to turn the next-generation Yaris into a two-door coupe, which seems extremely unlikely, we’re looking at something else entirely.

That raises the big question: what upcoming two-door car does Toyota have in the pipeline? The most obvious answer would be the Celica. However, if this is connected to the Celica revival, the eventual production version will of course look quite different from the rally car. Right now, though, what we can see appears very conservative. Dare I say it, boring. It almost looks like something designed 20 years ago. Nothing about it screams 2026 or cutting-edge sports coupe.

I’ve mentioned this before, but I have a feeling Toyota may use the classic “Celica” name for a very expensive, high-powered sports car. And that would be a major shift from what the Celica traditionally represented. The Celica was never meant to be an ultra-exclusive, high-dollar performance machine. It was attainable, stylish, and fun. Something younger buyers could realistically aspire to own.

There have even been rumors of over 400 horsepower coming from Toyota’s new 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that’s reportedly in development. Four hundred horsepower from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder is wild. That’s supercar-level output from not that long ago. Technically impressive? Sure, why not. But is that what a Celica should be?

If people already think the upcoming $42,000 Honda Prelude is overpriced, just wait until Toyota potentially unveils a 400-horsepower Celica with a price tag pushing well beyond that. Especially if it comes with all-wheel drive and high-end performance hardware.

At the same time, Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division has been on a roll. The GR Corolla, GR86, and Supra show that Toyota knows how to build exciting enthusiast cars again. So maybe we shouldn’t judge too quickly based on Rally test mules that alwasy look exaggerated, unfinished, or misleading by design.

Still, the Celica name carries history. It carries expectations. If Toyota brings it back, it needs to strike the right balance between heritage and modern performance. Enthusiasts don’t just want big horsepower numbers. They want character, affordability, and a connection to the past.

For now, all we can do is watch, speculate, and hope Toyota understands what made the Celica special in the first place. Because if they get it right, this could be one of the most exciting sports car comebacks of the decade.

If they get it wrong, it might just be another legendary name used for the wrong reasons.