{"id":1997165,"date":"2026-06-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1997165"},"modified":"2026-06-18T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T21:00:00","slug":"toyota-vp-hiroki-nakajima-the-celica-is-thats-a-daddy-car-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1997165","title":{"rendered":"Toyota VP Hiroki Nakajima: \u201cthe Celica is\u2026 that’s a daddy car, right?\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Toyota is actively working on a new Celica. This much we know already, based on rumblings in the industry, whisperings on the media grapevine, and the fact that one of Toyota\u2019s top brass blurted it out two years ago. All subtle clues, you see.<\/p>\n

Toyota\u2019s bosses still aren\u2019t allowed to say it openly, apparently, but speaking at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last weekend, executive vice president and member of the board of directors Hiroki Nakajima gave some invaluable background on what might be<\/em> (read \u2018is definitely\u2019) behind the company\u2019s push towards sportier cars. Celica included.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cOh my God!\u201d exclaimed Nakajima-san, when quizzed by TG about future GR models. \u201cSo, through motorsport activity, we would like to provide a better<\/em> car. This is the most important element for us, from an engineering point of view, right? To get that fruitful result through motorsports.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a sense, we would like to provide [a] much more motorsports<\/em> vehicle. Originally [with the] GR86, we partnered with Subaru; the Supra, we partnered with BMW. To be honest with you, we would like to provide the new car by ourselves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cSo we decided to develop the GR Yaris, and now the GR Corolla. And maybe next is\u2026 you know the name the Celica?\u201d TG nods. \u201cOh! Do you like it?\u201d TG nods again. \u201cOh! Me too. [It\u2019s] my personal dream.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyway, the Celica is\u2026 that’s a daddy car, right? We develop the Celica in the future. Near, near future. My colleagues make a big effort to develop\u2026\u201d he tails off. \u201cJust one word. Celica is my<\/em> dream!\u201d Translation: all this is his opinion for now. Nod, wink, etcetera.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

And what of the Supra<\/a>? Production of that joint venture with BMW ended earlier this year, having barely quickened the pulse despite the eventual (and worthwhile) u-turn on a manual version<\/a>. Could a new one \u2013 fully embossed with Toyota DNA this time \u2013 be on the cards?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Supra? There is no information from Toyota Motor Corporation, I think.\u201d Cue laughter in the room. \u201cGR Corolla, GR Yaris, for example GR Celica \u2013 for example<\/em>! \u2013 this [contributes] to expand the sales volume of the original Celica, original Corolla, original Yaris. This is a good harmonisation. This is a mass production area into the original car, right? Maybe Supra is another\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cBut personally in the future\u2026 like a Supra. Like<\/em> a Supra\u2026 personally!\u201d We get the picture, this is all hypothetical. But what has Toyota got in its back catalogue that\u2019s \u2018like\u2019 a two-seater sportscar? That\u2019s right folks\u2026 the MR2<\/a>. Hypothetically, of course.<\/p>\n

Explains why the Japanese brand \u2013 dominating the WRC, winning Le Mans for the sixth time this weekend, and attached to Haas in F1 \u2013 is so heavily involved in racing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cMotorsports for development, very exciting for engineers,\u201d explains Nakajima-san. \u201cThat’s a point. We don’t care about the result. No, no, no. Engineers focus on the engineering.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch kind of behaviour is key to success, to survive in the market. So, as much as possible we\u2019d like to support the sportscar area. That\u2019s my passion.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Toyota is actively working on a new Celica. This much we know already, based on rumblings in the industry, whisperings on the media grapevine, and the fact that one of Toyota\u2019s top brass blurted it out two years ago. All subtle clues, you see. Toyota\u2019s bosses still aren\u2019t allowed to say it openly, apparently, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,237],"class_list":["post-1997165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-topgear-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1997165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997165\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1997165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1997165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1997165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}