The Toyota Supra will return to showrooms in 2027 and will be joined by a revived Celica as the world’s largest automaker bolsters its sports car lineup, according to a new report from Japan.
Japanese outlet Best Car Web reports the next-generation Gazoo Racing (GR) Supra will be revealed in 2027 with a 500hp (373kW) hybrid powertrain.
Further, the Supra will crown an expanding GR sports car lineup with the Celica name reportedly set to return the following year for the first time since 2006 as a coupe with a mid-mounted engine.
The Celica traditionally rivalled the Honda Prelude, another sports car nameplate that’s being dusted off. It’s being revived as a hybrid-powered coupe, locked in for Australian showrooms in 2026.
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Above: Toyota GT Concept at Goodwood
The report comes as Toyota showed off a pair of new V8-powered sports car concepts at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, with one expected to be a successor to the Lexus LFA and the other tipped to be a racing version potentially wearing both Lexus and Toyota Supra badges.
The current A90 Supra was introduced in Australia in 2019, with the automaker confirming the end of production in 2025, despite revealing the existing model as its new Supercars competitor from 2026.
The Supra – which was originally a variant of the Celica – is said to continue with the current model’s front-engine/rear-wheel drive layout, the same as its on-track rival the Ford Mustang.
Instead of today’s 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder – shared with the BMW Z4 the current Supra is twinned with – Best Car Web reports the 2027 Supra will pack a 500hp (373kW) hybrid powertrain using a new 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine.
Image: 2025 Toyota GR Supra Track Edition
That means it will eclipse the outgoing model’s figures which, in the latest GR Supra Track Edition, are 285kW/500Nm, enabling a 0-100km/h time of 4.1 seconds.
It will also easily out-do the entry-level 2.0-litre four-cylinder version of the Supra sold overseas, but not offered in Australia, which makes 190kW and 400Nm.
While Toyota Australia sales boss Sean Hanley has previously told media the Supra name will carry on after the current model’s end, the Celica’s return was confirmed by a Toyota executive in Japan late last year.
Best Car Web reports both the Supra and the Celica will use the 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, the Supra’s boosted by hybrid tech including a battery and electric motor mounted behind the driver’s seat.
Image: The previous-generation Celica, sold in Australia between 1999-2005
For enthusiasts, both will offer a six-speed manual transmission, while an eight-speed automatic will be optional.
Best Car Web also says the Celica will run the petrol engine only with around 400hp (298kW) and will use carbon fibre for the bonnet, front guards and roof panels to keep weight down.
In a twist, the Celica is said to have its engine mid-mounted – which Toyota previously did on its MR2 sports car, with MR denoting a ‘mid-rear’ engine location.
Toyota showed the GR Yaris M Concept at the Tokyo Auto Salon using the new engine mounted behind the rear seats, suggesting engineers are well advanced with the layout.
Image: The MR2 was last sold in 2005
Best Car Web reports it’ll be all-wheel drive. The first three generations of Celica were rear-wheel drive, until the front-wheel drive T160 was launched in 1985. However, this spawned a hot all-wheel drive GT-Four flagship, which was also offered for the following two generations.
The mid-mounted layout has fuelled speculation of the return on the MR2 name, but it’s unclear if Toyota will develop two different sports cars below the Supra, particularly considering it already offers the GR86.
It’s expected the Celica’s arrival won’t come at the expense of the GR86. Reports from US outlet Motor Trend in June 2025 suggested the GR86 will continue alongside the Celica and Supra in Toyota showrooms.
Image: The current, second-generation GR86
Toyota Motor North America product boss Cooper Ericksen told Motor Trend the GR86 “does serve a very important role for the company and [performance arm] GR, so it would be our intent to have a cool next generation”.
In Australia, the GR86 is used for a one-make racing series – split into two divisions – designed to develop and discover racing talent, making them sought-after track cars.
With Toyota’s arrival in Supercars in 2026, the company has envisaged a junior driver following the pathway to Supercars, graduating from the TGRA 86 Series to the top-tier category.
MORE: V8-powered Toyota GT Concepts preview new sports cars for track and road
