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 an another tale for another day. Live long and prosper, Toyota Celica!
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Is a new Toyota Celica in the works?
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.
The GR86: A Celica or not?
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).
Has Toyota stopped making the Celica?
Toyota’s sporty two-door model, the Celica, was “After the 2005 model year, a youth car that has been sold for more than 30 years will be decommissioned. The 1971 Celica’s introduction had a significant impact on the development of the sporty subcompact market. It was recognized as the “Import Car of the Year” by Motor Trend, one of the “Ten Best Cars” by Car and Driver, and the “Most Reliable Sporty Car” by Consumer Reports during its tenure. The Celica, which was once seen as an edgy and youth-oriented automobile, generally adhered to its original intent of being created for customers who desired something “younger drivers who desired a little flair in their vehicle’s appearance and some spirit tied to the accelerator. Likewise, towards the conclusion of the 2005 model year, the two-seat MR2 is expected to be retired. The past few years had been extremely difficult for both the Celica and MR2, according to Don Esmond, senior vice president and general manager of the Toyota Division, in a market where Toyota continued to add other, more exciting and youthful products to the lineup, such as the Matrix and Corolla XRS, Solara sports coupe, and most recently the Scion xA, xB, and tC. Sales of the Celica fell about 50% from the previous year, reflecting its deteriorating circumstances. The Celica had fallen more than 33 percent short of its 2003 pace so far this year.
Why was the Toyota Celica discontinued?
Occidental Slope Toyota reflects on the past of the Celica by going back in time. The Celica was a hardtop coupe when it was initially manufactured in 1970. However, Toyota introduced coupe and liftback variations of the vehicle in the second generation.
The first Celica convertible debuted in 1984, and the seventh generation Celica, which debuted in 1999 and was once again a coupe, would be the model’s last iteration.
Toyota declared in 2004 that it will stop producing the Celica because to poor sales, and it did so in 2006. The Celica Supra continues the history of the original Celica and eventually evolved into a separate Toyota model that is being manufactured today.
Will the Toyota MR2 make a comeback?
Since years, Toyota has been hinting towards a brand-new sports car, and in December 2021, we got the finest glimpse yet at what is most certainly the all-new MR2.
Toyota launched 17 electric concept cars on the same day, nearly drowning it out, but the GR-badged, mid-engine sports car stood out in its yellow finish. Even while it wasn’t referred to as a “MR2” in the official release (it was merely named a “Sports EV”), the size and style are unmistakably similar to the company’s mid-engined sports vehicle, which was produced across two generations from 1984 to 2007.
Here is what we currently know about Toyota’s ambitions to add a fourth sports vehicle to its growing Gazoo Racing lineup, joining the GR Supra, GR 86, and GR Yaris.