Toyota’s outgoing CEO, Akio Toyoda, is a legitimate car guy, racing and driving vehicles harder than any executive probably should. A report from the Japanese site Best Car Web states that the automaker’s new CEO, Tsuneji Sato, expressed a fondness for the Celica, saying he’d like to see a new version of the defunct coupe in Toyota’s catalog.
The publication obtained a statement from Toyota that appeared to sidestep but not deny the question. A Toyota rep reportedly told Best Car Web, "The new president of Lexus and the GR company, Sato, has the intention of continuing to release GR sports models.” That’s not a confirmation of a new Celica, but it certainly doesn’t rule anything out.
This is exciting news, especially for Toyota fans, but it’s important to note that the reports aren’t verified. Best Car Web and Motor1 have both reached out to Toyota for comment but haven’t heard back. We know Toyota’s planning a range of electric vehicles, likely including a sporty coupe, but any resemblance to a Celica is probably coincidental at this point.
We’ve also heard from others at Toyota that there’s a desire to bring back cars like the MR2, and the Supra’s return seems to be a success, so this may not be such a long shot. In the meantime, we’ve also contacted Toyota for comment and will update this story when we receive a response.
[Image: Sue Thatcher via Shutterstock]
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from TheTruthAboutCars https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/cars/news-blog/rumor-toyota-could-bring-the-celica-back-as-an-ev-44500942?utm_medium=auto&utm_source=rss&utm_campaign=all_full
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