Why Toyota will run two different car models in the WRC

Japanese automotive giant Toyota has unveiled details behind its unconventional strategy for the 2027 World Rally Championship (WRC) season. The reigning champions are set to field two distinct Rally1 models, splitting their driver line-up across two separate teams. While Toyota has entered two squads in recent seasons, both have run identical machinery until now.

The upcoming technical regulations will allow the manufacturer to homologate bodyshells for both the GR Celica and GR Yaris. Despite their differing silhouettes, both machines will be identical beneath the skin. The brainchild behind the bold move is team chairman Akio Toyoda himself.

Running under the Toyota Racing banner, reigning champion Elfyn Evans, Oliver Solberg, and Sami Pajari will get behind the wheel of the Celica. This marks the iconic model's official return to top-flight rallying for the first time since the 1990s. Meanwhile, competing under the Gazoo Racing banner in the Yaris will be Takamoto Katsuta alongside former world champions Ott Tänak and Kalle Rovanperä, with the Finnish star once again tackling a selected partial campaign.

By fielding two distinct car models and line-ups, the Japanese manufacturer aims to showcase different product lines, generate compelling narratives, and boost fan engagement.

Team principal Jari-Matti Latvala highlighted the benefits of the new technical rulebook in an interview with motorsport.com:

Latvala also explained that the driver allocation was decided by management without direct input from the crews themselves:

"The choice was straightforward and logical. Ott won his world championship in a Yaris, so he was placed in that team. Kalle also claimed two titles with the Yaris, earning his spot there. We wanted the next generation in Solberg and Pajari to take on the new car alongside an established champion like Elfyn."

Despite the clear visual differences in body shape between the Yaris and Celica, technical director Tom Fowler guarantees complete performance parity between the two cars, including aerodynamic drag.

"Achieving aerodynamic balance between the two cars was one of our primary engineering challenges," Fowler said. "We had to build two completely comparable cars that still outperformed the competition. The differences come down purely to the exterior shape and aerodynamics. Normally, you develop aero targets around a single model, whereas here we pursued the same targets simultaneously across two visually distinct cars, which added considerable complexity to our work."