Future Toyota Celica Sport Will Have an AWD Hybrid Powertrain
Toyota reportedly will call its next sports car the Celica Sport, and it’ll feature a hybrid turbocharged 2.0-liter powertrain.\n\nBy Caleb MillerPublished: Mar 27, 2026\nSave Article\n1990 toyota celica alltrac turbo\nPhil Berg|Car and Driver\nA Gazoo Racing spokesperson said Toyota’s next sports car will be called the Celica Sport, according to a report by Autocar\nGR marketing manager Mikio Hayashi reportedly also said the new car will feature all-wheel drive and a hybrid powertrain.\nThe hybrid unit will likely use a new turbocharged 2.0-liter engine that last year Toyota confirmed it was developing.\nThe fifth-generation Toyota Supra is set to retire by the end of this year, but don’t worry, because Toyota isn’t backing away from sports cars. In fact, the Japanese automaker is gearing up to revive yet another iconic name from its past, the Celica. A Toyota executive confirmed the brand was working on a new Celica at an event in Japan at the end of 2024, and now a new report from Autocar sheds more light on the sports car’s name and powertrain.\n\nAdvertisement – Continue Reading Below\n\nAutocar spoke with Gazoo Racing marketing manager Mikio Hayashi, who told the publication that the new model will be called the Celica Sport. He also confirmed that it will feature all-wheel drive, a move we’re not shocked by, given the nameplate’s rich history in the world of rally racing. Of course, past generations also came in front-wheel drive, and the earliest Celicas were rear-wheel drive.\n\nFor Sale Near You\nSee all results for Toyota Celica for sale near 634720\n\nToyota\nThe fourth-generation Celica was the first to introduce all-wheel drive with the All-Trac Turbo.\nThe rally connection appears likely to continue with this latest generation, with a prototype Toyota rally car spotted in February testing in Portugal. The current Yaris-based rally racer won’t be eligible to race in the World Rally Championship in 2027, and the photos of the camouflaged prototype showed a compact coupe, making us think the Celica will likely serve as Toyota’s next WRC challenger.\n\nHayashi also lent further credence to the reports that the Celica Sport will feature a hybrid turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder powertrain. Toyota first hinted at a new turbo-four engine codenamed G20E at the 2025 Tokyo Auto Salon, fitting it into the mid-engined GR Yaris M concept. The engine is also expected to be featured in the upcoming Celica and MR2 revivals.\n\n\”The displacement size of 1.6 liters [used in the GR Yaris], for example, cannot meet emission regulations. So we have to consider the possibility of a 2.0-liter,\” Hayashi told Autocar. \”We are thinking about various sizes, but we are not at a stage where we can tell you exactly what size it is. Nothing has been decided yet about whether it will be a standard hybrid or plug-in hybrid.\”\n\nToyota\nThe mid-engined GR Yaris M concept was the first appearance for Toyota’s new 2.0-liter engine.\nHayashi also wouldn’t reveal a timeline for the launch of this new 2.0-liter engine. \”We are continuing to develop that. We have high expectations,\” he hinted. \”We cannot point to a timeline but can say we are making steady progress.\”\n\nAutocar reports that the new engine has a shorter piston stroke than Toyota’s current engines to cut down on size and weight. This smaller, lighter engine means that adding hybrid components—the battery and electric motor—would bring only a minor weight increase compared with the current GR performance cars. While it’s unclear exactly how much power this setup will make in the Celica, previous reports have pinned the output at around 400 horsepower. German publication Auto Motor und Sport claims that with a larger turbocharger, the hybrid unit could crank out more than 600 horsepower.\n\nThe new powertrain could end up in other GR-branded cars, with the GR Yaris likely receiving some version of the new engine in Europe; the GR Corolla is a likely candidate for the United States market. More details on both the engine and the next-generation Celica should continue to emerge this year.”
\nFuture Toyota Celica Sport Will Have an AWD Hybrid Powertrain\nToyota reportedly will call its next sports car the Celica Sport, and it’ll feature a hybrid turbocharged 2.0-liter powertrain.\n\nBy Caleb MillerPublished: Mar 27, 2026\nSave Article\n1990 toyota celica alltrac turbo\nPhil Berg|Car and Driver\nA Gazoo Racing spokesperson said Toyota’s next sports car will be called the Celica Sport, according to a report by Autocar\nGR marketing manager Mikio Hayashi reportedly also said the new car will feature all-wheel drive and a hybrid powertrain.\nThe hybrid unit will likely use a new turbocharged 2.0-liter engine that last year Toyota confirmed it was developing.\nThe fifth-generation Toyota Supra is set to retire by the end of this year, but don’t worry, because Toyota isn’t backing away from sports cars. In fact, the Japanese automaker is gearing up to revive yet another iconic name from its past, the Celica. A Toyota executive confirmed the brand was working on a new Celica at an event in Japan at the end of 2024, and now a new report from Autocar sheds more light on the sports car’s name and powertrain.\n\nAdvertisement – Continue Reading Below\n\nAutocar spoke with Gazoo Racing marketing manager Mikio Hayashi, who told the publication that the new model will be called the Celica Sport. He also confirmed that it will feature all-wheel drive, a move we’re not shocked by, given the nameplate’s rich history in the world of rally racing. Of course, past generations also came in front-wheel drive, and the earliest Celicas were rear-wheel drive.\n\nFor Sale Near You\nSee all results for Toyota Celica for sale near 634720\n\nToyota\nThe fourth-generation Celica was the first to introduce all-wheel drive with the All-Trac Turbo.\nThe rally connection appears likely to continue with this latest generation, with a prototype Toyota rally car spotted in February testing in Portugal. The current Yaris-based rally racer won’t be eligible to race in the World Rally Championship in 2027, and the photos of the camouflaged prototype showed a compact coupe, making us think the Celica will likely serve as Toyota’s next WRC challenger.\n\nHayashi also lent further credence to the reports that the Celica Sport will feature a hybrid turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder powertrain. Toyota first hinted at a new turbo-four engine codenamed G20E at the 2025 Tokyo Auto Salon, fitting it into the mid-engined GR Yaris M concept. The engine is also expected to be featured in the upcoming Celica and MR2 revivals.\n\n\”The displacement size of 1.6 liters [used in the GR Yaris], for example, cannot meet emission regulations. So we have to consider the possibility of a 2.0-liter,\” Hayashi told Autocar. \”We are thinking about various sizes, but we are not at a stage where we can tell you exactly what size it is. Nothing has been decided yet about whether it will be a standard hybrid or plug-in hybrid.\”\n\nToyota\nThe mid-engined GR Yaris M concept was the first appearance for Toyota’s new 2.0-liter engine.\nHayashi also wouldn’t reveal a timeline for the launch of this new 2.0-liter engine. \”We are continuing to develop that. We have high expectations,\” he hinted. \”We cannot point to a timeline but can say we are making steady progress.\”\n\nAutocar reports that the new engine has a shorter piston stroke than Toyota’s current engines to cut down on size and weight. This smaller, lighter engine means that adding hybrid components—the battery and electric motor—would bring only a minor weight increase compared with the current GR performance cars. While it’s unclear exactly how much power this setup will make in the Celica, previous reports have pinned the output at around 400 horsepower. German publication Auto Motor und Sport claims that with a larger turbocharger, the hybrid unit could crank out more than 600 horsepower.\n\nThe new powertrain could end up in other GR-branded cars, with the GR Yaris likely receiving some version of the new engine in Europe; the GR Corolla is a likely candidate for the United States market. More details on both the engine and the next-generation Celica should continue to emerge this year.”
\nFuture Toyota Celica Sport Will Have an AWD Hybrid Powertrain\nToyota reportedly will call its next sports car the Celica Sport, and it’ll feature a hybrid turbocharged 2.0-liter powertrain.\n\nBy Caleb MillerPublished: Mar 27, 2026\nSave Article\n1990 toyota celica alltrac turbo\nPhil Berg|Car and Driver\nA Gazoo Racing spokesperson said Toyota’s next sports
