Motor Authority - blog Category: Celica

The Toyota FT-86 Concept has just been officially revealed to the public at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, and despite its ostensible similarity to the AE86 Corolla, there's been a persistent rumor of the return of the Celica nameplate for the car's retail sales debut.

With its rear-wheel-drive layout, 2 + 2 seating configuration and coupe styling, it's a fair question as to which car it more closely resembles. In its later iterations the Celica was a front-driver, but the earliest Celicas, and the cars that spawned the legendary Supra, were rear-drive machines.

The Corolla nameplate in the U.S. has also lived on in the Celica's absence, itself...

The Toyota FT-86 Concept has just been officially revealed to the public at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, and despite its ostensible similarity to the AE86 Corolla, there's been a persistent rumor of the return of the Celica nameplate for the car's retail sales debut. With its rear-wheel-drive layout, 2 + 2 seating configuration and coupe styling, it's a fair question as to which car it more closely resembles. In its later iterations the Celica was a front-driver, but the earliest Celicas, and the cars that spawned the legendary Supra, were rear-drive machines. The Corolla nameplate in the U.S. has also lived on in the Celica's absence, itself morphing into a budget front-driver. So finding a way to slot the decidedly sporty and un-modern-Corolla-like Toyota-Subaru joint sports coupe into the Corolla range presents its own set of complications. Thus the talk of reviving the Celica badge. With a 2.0-liter Subaru boxer engine piping 200-plus horsepower through a six-speed manual transmission, the production version of the FT-86 is looking like it will be well up to the task of carrying the Celica flag, especially with an expected starting price of around $25,000. Fans of the Celica, and especially the Supra, will no doubt cheer the rumors on--discounting the highly exclusive and seriously expensive Lexus LF-A's emergence, the lack of sport cars anywhere under the Toyota umbrella has been too severe for too long. And though Toyota may not be planning a high-performance Supra version--yet, anyway--Subaru is thought to be working on an STI variant of the coupe, though even the standard Subaru sports coupe hasn't yet been given the production green light. Of course, there's no official confirmation of the Celica's return yet, but with the car due to appear for retail sale by late 2011, Toyota will be laying the groundwork at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office soon enough. As always, we'll keep our ears to the ground to bring you the latest. [Autocar] Read More

Fans of Toyota's sporting history have often lamented the current lineup of perfectly competent yet decidedly boring offerings, calling them 'appliances'. The days of the Supra, Celica and MR-2 may yet return, however, with new president Akio Toyoda at the helm.

Speaking today at the 2009 Center for Automotive Research (CAR) Conference, Toyoda said, "My hope is that I can transfer some enthusiasm from the race track to our vehicles and make driving fun for our customers around the world.

"And to that point, I am happy to announce this morning that Toyota plans to build an exciting...fun-to-drive...affordable sports car and launch it within... Fans of Toyota's sporting history have often lamented the current lineup of perfectly competent yet decidedly boring offerings, calling them 'appliances'. The days of the Supra, Celica and MR-2 may yet return, however, with new president Akio Toyoda at the helm. Speaking today at the 2009 Center for Automotive Research (CAR) Conference, Toyoda said, "My hope is that I can transfer some enthusiasm from the race track to our vehicles and make driving fun for our customers around the world. "And to that point, I am happy to announce this morning that Toyota plans to build an exciting...fun-to-drive...affordable sports car and launch it within the next few years. "I am very excited about it...and I plan to fast-track it." That could mean a debut of the new car as early as 2011 or 2012, which would put the vehicle right on schedule for the 086A joint project currently being developed with Subaru. That car is expected to be a RWD sports coupe powered by a naturally-aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine rated in the neighborhood of 200hp. Some reports have the car being sold in the U.S. as a Scion, which would help mate the car with Toyoda's statements about affordability and excitement. Whatever the car ends up being, or looking like, it's exciting to see such enthusiasm for driving, racing and cars in general at the head of Toyota. Let the talk of a Supra revival - hybrid or not - begin!Toyota Subaru Sports Car Read More

Earlier this month, Toyota executive vice-president Masatami Takimoto confirmed the company was working on a small hybrid sports coupe for the European market but other than a few sparing details no solid information was revealed. This sent the rumor mill into overdrive, with speculation quickly emerging that the car could see a return of the MR2 nameplate.

Today, France’s L'Automobile Magazine is reporting that the new RWD sports car being developed jointly by Toyota and Subaru could revive the Celica name. Both companies plan to launch separate versions of the car in 2011, but while the Subaru model will likely get a new name the ... Earlier this month, Toyota executive vice-president Masatami Takimoto confirmed the company was working on a small hybrid sports coupe for the European market but other than a few sparing details no solid information was revealed. This sent the rumor mill into overdrive, with speculation quickly emerging that the car could see a return of the MR2 nameplate. Today, France’s L'Automobile Magazine is reporting that the new RWD sports car being developed jointly by Toyota and Subaru could revive the Celica name. Both companies plan to launch separate versions of the car in 2011, but while the Subaru model will likely get a new name the Toyota model may go with something familiar. Of course, there have also been claims that Toyota might go with the Trueno name from the 1980’s ‘AE86’ Japanese classic but given the global nature of the upcoming model this is looking more and more unlikely. As for the car itself, Toyota is reportedly working on the styling while Subaru is said to be handling the engineering side of things. This means the new model will be Subaru at heart, with a four-cylinder boxer engine in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms expected. Base models will be strictly RWD and have a power output of around 220hp (170kW). Though no official details have been released, it’s expected that an AWD flagship with 300hp (225kW) from a turbocharged flat-four will be available as well. A six-speed manual transmission will be standard, although an automatic is also expected to be available as well.Toyota Subaru Sports Car Read More

From the Mark I inline six-cylinder with just 110hp (82kW) to to the twin-turbo Mark IV with 320hp (239kW), Toyota's Supra remains a legend in the world of high-performance sports cars. But since 2002, the brand has made a strong move away from the image of the Supra and towards the Prius's green vision. Toyota's North American operations are now moving even farther along that path, putting more emphasis on hybrid output and effectively shelving plans for a Celica/Supra rebirth.

Toyota's FT-HS concept, shown in 2007 at the Detroit Auto Show, had revived hope that Toyota still retained some of its former interest in providing vehicles that... From the Mark I inline six-cylinder with just 110hp (82kW) to to the twin-turbo Mark IV with 320hp (239kW), Toyota's Supra remains a legend in the world of high-performance sports cars. But since 2002, the brand has made a strong move away from the image of the Supra and towards the Prius's green vision. Toyota's North American operations are now moving even farther along that path, putting more emphasis on hybrid output and effectively shelving plans for a Celica/Supra rebirth. Toyota's FT-HS concept, shown in 2007 at the Detroit Auto Show, had revived hope that Toyota still retained some of its former interest in providing vehicles that were more than just transportation appliances. But Toyota Division general manager Bob Carter recently told Automotive News that hybrids would be moving to center stage in the U.S. "It is just a re-prioritization of where we think the customer is today and where the customer is going to be 24 and 36 months from now," said Carter. Sports cars, on the other hand, are not even in the periphery. "Personally I would love to have a sporty car, but it is pretty clear what the market is looking for right now." It's no surprise that Toyota is after the mainstream consumer, or that sports cars don't make much business sense, but it's still disappointing to enthusiasts and fans that had hoped against hope for the return of one of the Japanese giants.Toyota to reveal FT-HS hybrid sports car at Detroit Read More

Back in November Toyota’s German Chief Markus Schrick confirmed Toyota was working on several new sports cars including a replacement for the Celica, and now Japanese magazines are claiming the new model will arrive as early as next year. The new car is said to be the joint-effort of a collaboration between Toyota and Subaru and it will reportedly be offered in two different variants, a cheaper GT model and a high-performance AWD GT-Four.

The two carmakers have been sharing production facilities and swapping engineers ever since Toyota bought a stake in Subaru early last year and these new sports cars are likely to be the first to be... Back in November Toyota’s German Chief Markus Schrick confirmed Toyota was working on several new sports cars including a replacement for the Celica, and now Japanese magazines are claiming the new model will arrive as early as next year. The new car is said to be the joint-effort of a collaboration between Toyota and Subaru and it will reportedly be offered in two different variants, a cheaper GT model and a high-performance AWD GT-Four. The two carmakers have been sharing production facilities and swapping engineers ever since Toyota bought a stake in Subaru early last year and these new sports cars are likely to be the first to be spawned from the partnership. The cheaper GT version is supposed to have a target price of under $20,000, Japan’s Best Car reports, which agree with earlier reports claiming Toyota was working on an affordable successor to the 1980’s AE86. The GT will feature a conventional front-engine RWD layout and will be powered by a naturally aspirated 2.0L Subaru four-cylinder boxer engine. The more expensive GT-Four, meanwhile, will come with AWD as standard and get the same 300hp turbo four as the Japanese spec Subaru Impreza STI. According to the source, the engine in this car will be positioned closer to the firewall to help improve handling and it could also feature in-wheel electric motors to help traction. Both cars will come in coupe and three-door hatch bodystyles and will be sourced from Subaru’s Gunma plant in Japan. No five-door hatch will be offered as Toyota and Subaru don’t want to compete with the current Impreza range. Via: MotorTrend Read More