The striking Toyota XYR concept car debuted at the 1999 Detroit Auto Show provided more than just a passing nod to the upcoming seventh-generation Celica’s styling. In retrospect, we can see that it was essentially identical to the real version, which made its premiere in September 1999, just before Toyota revealed it had created its 100 millionth car.
The third-generation MR2’s project manager, Tadashi Nakagawa, again oversaw this one, and it followed a similar engineering path of reduced weights, more compact and lightweight components, and razor-sharp handling. It introduced two brand-new, jointly designed 1.8-liter engines with Yamaha, including one with variable valve timing (VVT-i) and another with a second, high-lift camshaft lobe that activated at higher revs (VVTL-i). Only a few number of engines, including the latter one, were capable of producing more than 100 horsepower per liter.
There was only one coup body type available, unlike previous Celica models, and it was never designed to develop into a convertible or a four-wheel-drive model. The development team was able to concentrate on making the body construction as light as possible for this specific use thanks to the clearer focus, while smaller displacement engines provided the option to install a smaller fuel tank. A car with a shorter body and a longer wheelbase was the end result, weighing in at just 1,090kg in base trim.
Sales in Europe started in November 1999 with the 140 horsepower 1ZZ-FE engine; nearly a year later, the 189 bhp 2ZZ-GE engine, dubbed the Celica 190, entered the lineup. After a new flagship T Sport model with distinctive alloy wheels and larger front brakes was introduced in August 2001, this vehicle was gradually phased out of the UK lineup.
A midlife makeover arrived a few years into the production period, as is customary for Toyota, this time in time for the 2003 model year. Britain acquired the revised model at the same time as Japan and the US thanks to careful management of the stock of run-out vehicles. There was no ignoring the fact that sports cars were losing popularity globally, despite strong sales helping Toyota to its 10th consecutive year of record UK sales.
Toyota was forced to end production of the Celica in the US in the summer of 2004 as a result of this effort. Sales in the UK continued to grow moderately, helped by the appeal of a special edition GT model with reduced suspension, an unexpectedly wild aero kit, and specialized 17-inch alloy wheels. However, the announcement of strict new emissions requirements in January 2006 sounded the death knell for the Celica because doing so would be simply unprofitable. In April 2006, Japan’s official end of production was announced.
The production of the Celica reached epic heights, totaling 4,129,626 units, from its debut in December 1970 until more than 35 years after it made its final appearance.
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The Toyota Celica was retired for what reason?
Toyota has produced a lot of intriguing cars over the years. Toyota has always focused on efficiency, usability, and affordability, from the Prius to the RAV4. Looking back at earlier Toyota models to see how far the company has advanced in terms of design and quality is also enjoyable.
The Toyota Celica is one of the more well-known Toyota models that is no longer in production. We wonder what happened to the Toyota Celica because it seemed like everyone knew someone who owned one. Despite the fact that manufacture was only stopped in 2006, there aren’t as many of them on the roads nowadays. Sure, there are a few here and there, but it begs the question as to why many more didn’t utilize this sporty yet efficient vehicle.
A quick overview of the Toyota Celica’s history is necessary to comprehend what transpired with the vehicle. The car was produced from 1970 to 2006, but the drivetrain’s move from rear- to front-wheel drive in 1985 was the biggest shift.
The original Celica came in three trim levels: LT, ST, and GT, and was a hardtop coupe. The GTV trim level was also available; it was released in 1972, handled a little better, but had a less opulent interior. A 1.6L or a 2L engine was standard on the Celica.
When the second-generation Celica was introduced in 1978, it was offered as a coupe and a liftback with a “B pillar. 2.2L engine provided power to the base model Celica of the second generation.
When the third generation of Celicas was introduced in 1981, buyers once again had a choice between a coupe and a liftback. In 1984, a convertible version was also released. This generation of Celicas comes standard with a 2.4L engine. In 1982, all Celicas sold in North America were required to have fuel injection.
Toyota Celicas of the seventh and last generation, which were coupes, were sold from 1999 to 2006. Power locks and windows were installed in the center console, and the car was lighter and more cheap than prior model years. In its base model, it had a 1.8L engine that generated 140 horsepower. Due to poor sales, Toyota declared that it would stop manufacturing the Celica in the United States in 2004.
The Celica eventually evolved into the Celica Supra, then into just the Supra, but that is a another tale for another day. Live long and prosper, Toyota Celica!
Will Toyota ever reintroduce the Celica?
It would be foolish for the division to rest on its laurels now that Toyota’s Gazoo Racing (GR) performance branch is firmly established.
Then there is the Celica, a reasonably priced coupe that went through seven incarnations from 1970 to 2006 and soon gained a reputation for offering a lot of enthusiast appeal at a reasonable price.
Similar to the final-generation Celica, Theophilus Chin’s reimagined 2022 Celica is built on a borrowed Corolla platform, which isn’t the most interesting foundation but offers plenty of room for customization as a member of Toyota’s modular TNGA chassis family.
This adaptability makes a variety of powerplant alternatives possible. Again, going back in time, there is space for engines from both the Corolla and the Camry, resulting in base engine tuning of at least 125kW and 152kW from the 2.0-liter and 2.5-litre engines of the source cars, respectively.
The 2.5-liter engine would make a fantastic base model for Australia, with the 2.5-liter hybrid Camry serving as the “flagship” model, tuned to produce at least 170kW with, hopefully, development room to pair it with a manual and conventional automatic, as opposed to the Camry’s less-exciting 160kW with a CVT.
Our eighth-generation Celica carries on from where the angular seventh-gen car left off rather than ripping up the rulebook and starting from scratch. Similar low profile, with an improvement over the previous triangular headlight.
Although the body is still a liftback design, it is now more horizontal in nature like those found on Toyota’s popular models.
The front bumper intake makes a connection to the present Corolla, but the thin slit grille calls to mind the previous Celica.
Even while the vehicle is still, the inflated wheel arches, wider front and rear tracks, vented front guards, rising bodyside feature lines, and sill panels give the appearance of motion.
With LED lighting and bumper garnishes in the shape of vents, the rear of the car is highlighted by a tail-light panel that wraps around the corners like a strut brace, emphasizing the forward-motion design.
We’d want to see the maximum output 220kW engine from the GR Corolla combined with the 390Nm output from the GRMN Yaris because the outputs for the GR Celica can only be range-topping. Similarly, ‘circuit’ suspension, forged alloy wheels, and Torsen limited slip differentials front and back are non-negotiable.
The GR-exclusive stepped central air intake, the larger vents behind the front wheels, the GR Corolla’s trio of functional exhaust tips, the ST205 GT-Four-inspired bonnet scoop, and, of course, GR’s distinctive Frosted White paint were all exterior features we simply had to have.
Sadly, there are currently no signs that Toyota will produce a new Celica; instead, the firm seems pleased with the GR86 and GR Supra. We can fantasize.
What was the Celica’s replacement at Toyota?
In January 1980, Toyota introduced the four-door Celica Camry to the Japanese market. This vehicle was essentially a 19771981 Toyota Carina (A40 and A50) from the second generation with a front end that was extended to match the 19781981 Celica XX, also known as the Celica Supra in export markets. This Carina-derived Celica is a four-door sedan as opposed to a coupe or liftback, unlike other Celicas. When the front-wheel-drive Toyota Camry (V10) model was introduced in 1982, Toyota replaced the Celica Camry.
The Celica was supplanted by the Supra.
It takes 40 years to the latter half of the 20th century to trace the history of the Toyota Supra, an iconic model that bears what is undoubtedly Toyota’s most well-known sports car badge.
The Supra name, chosen as a new suffix designation for a longer, broader, and more potent spin-off of the second-generation Celica coup, was first introduced by Toyota in April 1978. (above). The model’s A40 chassis code served as an additional means of identification.
The new A40 Celica Supra (known as Celica XX in its domestic market) replaced the Celica’s four-cylinder engine range with a silky smooth six-cylinder engine that offered a more opulent character in an effort to compete in the popular grand tourer market in Japanese and North American markets at the time, which was almost entirely dominated by Datsun’s Z-cars. So the story of the Toyota Supra began…
Will the GR86 replace the Celica?
There are plenty aspiring automobile designers out there that have a basic understanding of computer rendering and produce predictable concepts with no realistic chance of materializing, regardless of final design. There is nothing wrong with dreaming, but the market for affordable RWD and FWD coupes is both nearly dead. Who is it intended for? How does it avoid duplicating a current product? Toyota declined to utilize the moniker Celica, which could have been used to either the GR86 or the 2.0 Supra. It makes sense because, even more than 15 years ago, when numerous manufactures offered FWD coupes, they were durable but unimpressive FWD coupes for a considerable amount of time until they perished. The Supra name was utilized again because it is valuable, thanks in large part to a laughably idiotic “car” movie and the diseased nostalgia-seeking eye (in their day, they were routinely near the lower end of performance shootouts with their contemporaries, all of which are worth a lot less money today).
Was the Celica replaced by the 86?
Toyota has been making allusions to the long-anticipated reintroduction of other well-known nameplates, such as the MR2 and Celica. From 1970 until 2006, the Celica was a sporty coupe that was produced across seven generations. Supra, Toyota’s iconic sports vehicle, was first a Celica trim level before becoming an independent model in 1986. With the 86 and Supra, Toyota now offers a two-car series of sports cars. Many have questioned why the 86, which is less powerful, didn’t simply take the Celica label.
When the Scion brand was disbanded, the 86 wasn’t given the Celica name back, which is exactly why we spoke with Toyota spokesperson Nancy Hubbell at the premiere event for the new Supra.
Remember that the Toyota 86 was initially marketed as the Scion FR-S in the US but went by the name GT86 in other countries? Toyota made the decision to keep three Scion models in production as rebadged Toyota vehicles after the Scion brand was discontinued in 2016. Hubbell recalls, “I was in the meeting when we agreed to name the iM the Corolla iM, the iA the Yaris iA, and the FR-S the 86.” The reason the 86 wasn’t given the Celica nameplate was that it required a new product, and there wasn’t much enthusiasm for it.
It would have been false to slap the Celica brand on a vehicle that had already been sold under a different moniker. Because the Celica name is valuable, it will only be applied to a brand-new automobile that was specifically designed to be a Celica. Toyota chose the 86 designation because it wanted the US-spec vehicle to more closely resemble the GT86 offered in other regions. We might see the nameplate reappear when/if the 86 is replaced because Hubbell didn’t confirm or reject that the Celica moniker could ultimately make a comeback.