Key facts
- Toyota Motor will field two teams in the 2027 World Rally Championship, one running the GR Yaris and one the GR Celica.
- The Celica returns to the WRC for the first time in 32 years, per Toyota Motor.
- Toyota won its sixth consecutive WRC manufacturers' championship in 2026 and its 10th overall.
- The 2027 Rally1 rules introduce a shared control chassis and adapted 1.6-liter turbocharged engines, per Car and Driver.
- Toyota Racing said drivers will be entrusted with the new GR Celica Rally1 car, per CarsGuide.
- Toyota has not released images or production details of the new Celica rally car, per CarsGuide.
Toyota Motor will bring its Celica sports car back to the World Rally Championship in 2027, the first time in 32 years, the automaker said on November 4, 2026. The company will field two teams next year as the sport introduces new car regulations, a move the Nikkei Asia report said could set up a contest at the sport's top level with Italy's Lancia marque.
Toyota won its sixth consecutive WRC manufacturers' championship in 2026 and its 10th overall, according to the report.
Car and Driver reported that Toyota Gazoo Racing will run the GR Yaris while a new team called Toyota Racing will field a new GR Celica rally car, with both competing in the top Rally1 class. The GR Celica will use a new control chassis shared by all Rally1 teams under the 2027 rules, which also adapt turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four engines from the Rally2 class, the outlet said.
CarsGuide reported that Toyota Racing announced it would enter two teams and two cars in next year's FIA World Rally Championship, including the GR Celica Rally1. The outlet said Toyota Racing stated that "drivers will be entrusted with the new GR Celica Rally1 car, returning one of the most iconic names in Toyota rally history to the WRC." CarsGuide said no details were confirmed beyond the car's compliance with the latest regulations, and Toyota did not share images of the new Rally1 machine.