Although Toyota President Nakajima confirmed the Celica's current status as under development, he didn't go into much further detail. The announcement occurred during a staged interaction with Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman, Akio Toyoda, at the Rally Japan event, where the two acted out some conversation and dialogue.

Toyoda deflected the question – asked by Best Car editor Jin Hongo – to his Executive Vice President Yuki Nakajima, who is understood to have responded with the following, which we've translated here with Google Translate.

A Japanese magazine reported that a Toyota executive confirmed the automaker is working on reviving the beloved Celica.

Toyota has officially confirmed the return of the iconic Celica name.The news came from Toyota’s executive vice president Yuki Nakajima during a public event at Toyota Stadium in Japan, held alongside the World Rally Championship's Rally Japan event.

Toyota’s executive vice president has confirmed that the company is working on a new Celica, following years of rumors and speculation about the return of the popular nameplate.

Toyota fans and car enthusiasts in general rejoice! The Japanese automaker says an all new Celica is coming 18 years after the car was killed in 2004. Toyota’s vice president confirmed that it is working on a new Celica while speaking at this weekend’s Rally Japan.

"I'm not sure if it's okay to say this in a public forum, but we're doing the Celica," one of the brand's executive vice presidents said over the weekend.

A new report says that a company VP confirmed Toyota would be building a new version of the compact Celica sports car.