Watch – Toyota’s new WRC coupé testing in Europe
Words: Kyle Cassidy
Toyota’s next World Rally Championship contender has been spotted testing in Spain, with its two-door coupé body adding weight to speculation that the Celica name could return to rallying.
The Gazoo Racing prototype is being developed for the 2027 season to replace the GR Yaris Rally1. Toyota hasn’t confirmed its name, so the Celica connection remains speculation rather than an announced model programme.
The latest sighting, on rally stages around Tarragona, provides a clearer look at the car following earlier testing in Portugal in February 2026. It appears to wear revised bodywork while retaining the previous prototype’s proportions.
WRC driver Ott Tänak was reportedly behind the wheel and parked close enough to spectators for photographers to capture more of the design beneath Gazoo Racing’s red, black, grey and white camouflage.
A very different shape from the Yaris
The prototype swaps the familiar hatchback silhouette for a two-door fastback, with heavily extended wheelarches, deep side skirts and air intakes beneath the rear quarter windows.
Up front are angular headlights resembling those of the European-market Corolla sedan, a prominent bonnet scoop, additional vents and a large lower cooling intake.
At the rear, a fixed wing sits above an integrated spoiler. The tail-light arrangement appears to incorporate a full-width connecting trim, while a single central exhaust exits through the sculpted rear bumper.
It’s an aggressive competition package, although the oversized aerodynamic elements and purpose-built proportions mean it offers only limited clues to any future road car.
Why the Celica connection?
The coupé body and timing of the rally car’s development have prompted suggestions that it could revive one of Toyota’s best-known performance nameplates.
There’s a strong rally connection to draw on. Earlier Celicas delivered two manufacturers’ championships and four drivers’ titles in the WRC, giving Toyota plenty of history to reference if it chooses to reuse the badge.
A shared name wouldn’t make the rally and road versions mechanically related, however.
The incoming WRC rules call for a common tubular spaceframe chassis and turbocharged 1.6-litre engines. A roadgoing Celica is instead tipped to use Toyota’s TNGA architecture, a new turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive.
Those road-car details remain unconfirmed, as does any direct styling link with the rally prototype.
The competition car is expected to make its debut in 2027. Suggestions that Toyota could preview a roadgoing Celica with a near-production concept early or midway through next year are also speculative, with no confirmed reveal date or New Zealand launch details in the supplied report.
