Saturday, April 12, 2025

Did sales decline because of this commercial? I think Celica's marketing department shot themselves in the foot here.

 


Who wants to be pulled over when parked or going at or under the speed limits just because it "looks" fast? To avoid tickets for looking speedy, it would be easier to avoid buying a Celica entirely.

Seems like a form of marketing self-harm here.

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[–]ScaryfatkidGT 1 point  

17” wheels a LSD and the Lotus tune woulda kept it around.

[–]ScaryfatkidGT 1 point  

Lol

[–]QLDZDR 2 points  

Did sales decline because of this commercial? I think Celica's marketing department shot themselves in the foot here.

I think the wheels looked too small.

[–]Scarecrow1_KYSR 6 points  

that commercial was a true story here, "60 on a 25 school zone"

officer... its not a Supra, and Im running 3 pistons, best I could do was 50mph after 3 business days flooring it, and you didnt even use radar lol

[–]my_name_is_gato 3 points  

Can you explain a bit better? I'm a Yankee on my third Celica and of all the reasons for why the iconic car did poorly in the final generation, the pronouncing of the name is a new one on me. It's not like the Chevy Nova being sold to Spanish speaking markets (rough translation; "it doesn't go".

Toyota made a similar fumble with the Paseo, which is loosely "to take a walk". Regardless, Celica sales didn't seem to tank over all 6 generations of cars, so I feel like if there was any making issues, they would have played out before the early 2000's. The British pronunciation seems to emphasize the sound "leak". What am I missing?

[–]ConsiderationFull603 1 point  

Listen to the way Americans pronounce the name and compare that to the way everyone else does:

Cel ik ka (sort of sounds like delicate)

Cel ee ka (sort of sounds like sleeker)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnTG2iX94WQ

[–]ConsiderationFull603 2 points  

And BTW my original comment was partly tongue in cheek lol but I'm guessing the name did play some part considering Americans tend to like more "macho" names for their sports/muscle cars.

[–]my_name_is_gato 1 point  

Fair enough, though the success of the Chevy Malibu, Nissan Fairlady Z, and Lotus Elise seem to be among a few exceptions.

[–]ConsiderationFull603 2 points  

The Zs were mainly referred to by their numbers 240, 260, 280, 350 and 370. But yeah "Fairlady" sounds pretty gay. The Elise and Esprit were Lotuses so that cool brand name overrides the model names. The Chevy Malibu is......

[–]Yuri909 4 points  

TBF it was marketed as a woman's car here. 14 years later since I got mine my asshole friends are still reminding me lol.

[–]Possible_Region_190 1 point  

I am a woman and I never saw many men driving them when mine was first new.

[–]Fwd_fanatic00 GT-S 6 Speed 3 points  

I was 9 in 2000, so I just thought the commercials were funny, and the car looked cool.

[–]Fwd_fanatic00 GT-S 6 Speed 3 points  

Those ain’t good friends lol. None of my friends crack jokes about it.

[–]Celica_GT-four 3 points  

Mazda still make the miata, nissan the Z, Honda the civic. Etc etc I think the Celica was killed by poor sales World wide.

[–]Fwd_fanatic00 GT-S 6 Speed 7 points  

The Prelude, RX-8, Supra, 240SX, Integra/RSX all died.

Civic slowly got less cool, and less performance oriented. Miata has been basically unchanged, and the 3rd gen was considered pretty undesirable compared to 1st and 2nd gen’s. Nissan 350/370Z has been largely the same car from 2003-2020.

[–]meroisstevie 2 points  

Same reason for the late 90's die off of everything amazing. Sales dropped and Japan was having a crisis. Google Japan's lost decade.

[–]Fwd_fanatic00 GT-S 6 Speed 2 points  

Like every video on History of XXX Japanese Company talks about it. It’s not hard to find info. It hurt a lot more than just the auto industry, but that was a big one that got hit.

[–]Celica_GT-four 1 point  

True, supra slow sales, rx8 was a turd( and I’m a huge rotary fan), 240 sold poorly and was killed in the states before we got the later versions plus we had the lame engines although the KA24 is a excellent engine boosted, the Hondas were Hondas lol but they had bloat in the line up.

[–]mikhailks 1 point  

Don’t forget the Mr. 2

[–]Fwd_fanatic00 GT-S 6 Speed 1 point  

The value of the yen dropping below the dollar really killed their ability to spend nearly as much on the exports to the US.

Toyota just focused entirely on the SUV and hybrid market to float themselves thorough it.

[–]Celica_GT-four 3 points  

Here’s to hoping the 8th gen Celica if it happens isn’t a turd with some other manufacturers engine.

[–]Fwd_fanatic00 GT-S 6 Speed 2 points  

Doubtful with them dropping the BMW sourced inline 6 for their own 2.0L 4cyl in the new Supra.

[–]Celica_GT-four 3 points  

Rumor has it the 8th gen will be that 2.0 with awd like a coupe GR…. If that’s the case I’ll be ordering one.

[–]Fwd_fanatic00 GT-S 6 Speed 2 points  

That’s what I’d like TBH, I wouldn’t even mind a FWD version.

I love my 7th gen. It’s just a different philosophy of a car compared to the GT-Fours. Lightweight, responsive, kinda harks back to the Corolla FX16.

They’re surprisingly potent dirt track cars in their class.

[–]Celica_GT-four 2 points  

Yeah I’ve had a few FWD I would mind a FX thats one that got away, I’m just done with the fwd stuff for now

[–]Fwd_fanatic00 GT-S 6 Speed 1 point  

I live in the land of WRX wannabes. Being able to outdrive stock ones with guys who think they’re invincible is fun with an NA FWD. Even just sticking to their rear end in every corner is fun. They’ll run in a straight, but I’ll eat it up in the braking zone.

I was gonna make my 2nd gen RAV4 an AWD toy, but with rumors of the new Celica I’m holding off on that. lol.

[–]Fwd_fanatic00 GT-S 6 Speed 1 point  

And the 98 GT-Four cheating in rally and getting Toyota booted right when they would have started using this killed the idea.

[–]Hootngetter 6 points  

I thought the commercials were comical it didn't turn me off from buying one...25 years later 😄

[–]meroisstevie 1 point  

Celica was cheap to repair. The problem was for 1500$ more you could purchase an entry level WRX or an American LS1 V8. AWD Turbo or lift at 5k running a low 15 second quarter mile that you needed to throw tons of cash at it to even Shave a second off. TRD Superchargers went for close to 3k. That got you to Mid 14's for around 5k in parts. On a WRX or the LS1 cars at that time you were in the low 13's or better for that much cash for the similar priced cars.

[–]celica_GT2001 MWR 1ZZ 2 points  

I will agree with some of that...but i don't think they are expensive to repair, and they seem to be reliable for the most part. Most of these other cars are more power but more headache (Speeds, Evo, rx8)

I'm willing to wager Toyota took the miata approach for zzt and the zzw chassis. I have a Speed3 and I find myself wanting a third pedal in my celica once in a while

[–]Celica_GT-four 1 point  

Hot take: I bet if the 7th gen had a beams in it, it would have sold better….heck id buy one

[–]ArcaneVoid31999 Celica SS-II Superstrut 3 points  

beams really doesn't offer much over the 2zz, and is significantly heavier and doesnt sound nearly as good

[–]Celica_GT-four 1 point  

I love the 3SGE/GTE especially since that powered the castrol supra and dominated

[–]Celica_GT-four 1 point  

Mmmmm I’d have to say the beams sounds good especially with ITB’s. With the existing aftermarket the beams makes a ton of power and is a solidly reliable engine. iirc they made like 212hp stock 400’s with mods. I’m not mad about that. the 2zz suffers from little aftermarket support correct?

[–]ArcaneVoid31999 Celica SS-II Superstrut 2 points  

ITBs is a whole separate thing, I'm taking exhaust note as 3sge beams has always had a horrible metallic tone to it. 2zz makes 190hp or 200hp with any kind of axle back exhaust, mods is different conversation. 2zz has a fair amount of aftermarket support, not on the same level as other popular platforms but there are several options for things like billet oil pump gears, baffled pans, cams etc

[–]Fwd_fanatic00 GT-S 6 Speed 3 points  

The 7th Gen GT-S is just as fast as the 5th Gen All-trac, and wasn’t a homologation special that was limited to like 1750 examples. The US never got the 6th Gen All-trac.

GT-Fours are cool because they’re a rally car for the street, but there’s significantly fewer numbers and they’re wildly more expensive for a much harder to maintain vehicle.

2wd N.A. is always going to be easier and cheaper to maintain and repair than turbo AWD.

[–]Celica_GT-four 0 points  

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Here’s my GT-four In the U.S. It’s not difficult or that expensive to maintain, I have lots of hard miles on it. There’s lots of ST205’s they made a ton. But the Alltrac’s were too expensive in the U.S. and didn’t sell well so they pulled em. Comparing the detuned heavy 5th gen usdm all trac to the lighter 7th gen 2wd is unrealistic. Just like the Mazdaspeed 3 vs STI’s and EVO’s because there’s less parasitic gearbox drag. My point was the other Japanese cars of the time were far more competitive all around, hence the Celica died. I’m a rally fan and I think toyota left a lot on the table not offering an AWD 7th Celica, or going back to the rwd roots. I bet If they put the Celica back to RWD and competed with the Z car the Celica would still be in production.

[–]Fwd_fanatic00 GT-S 6 Speed 1 point  

If the 6th gen hadn’t gotten Toyota booted from Rally until 2000 I bet they would have.

[–]Celica_GT-four 1 point  

Yeah seems like a stupid gamble the race engineers took. I believe toyota would have shut the door on Subaru and Mitsubishi

[–]Fwd_fanatic00 GT-S 6 Speed 1 point  

Yeah, I also don’t think it helped the reputation of the Celica in places that care about rally too.

The US forgot about them because of the Pro Celebrity race series with the 7th gen.

[–]Ok-Hawk1294 5 points  

Funny but 7th gen are still on the road and none of the other cars you listed are hmmmmmmm

[–]Possible_Region_190 2 points  

My 1998 still is.

[–]Celica_GT-four 8 points  

I see lots of Zcars, civics, and Subarus everyday, I get excited when I see another Celica….didnt say the 7th gen wasn’t reliable, just saying it wasn’t a good seller. I also seem to remember parts were steep like European parts steep. I totally forgot about Miatas too, way reliable and preform very well. No shade on toyota I just think they missed the mark in the performance zone. Too bad too because it’s not a bad looking car, and they had dialed in the suspension from what I have for more reliability.

[–]Ok-Hawk1294 2 points  

No I got ya!!!nothing more reliable then a 1zz

[–]NeverBeAGangsta 4 points  

I believe Honda had a civic at the time with VTEC to complete with the Celica GTS. I forgot which trim it was ( R or Si), bit it handled better, had slightly more horsepower, was a bit cheaper, and was generally considered a better car by reviews. Also, VTEC was kind of proven, or established for years while vvt-li was new and would need more time if it wanted to be considered on par...

But yeah, that commercial didn't help.

[–]Darkgoober 6 points  

Acura (Honda) RSX. Hard to find them in good condition now, but very similar to celica 7th Gen.

[–]wsbautist420 6 points  

From previous discussions, it was more likely due to competition of cheaper U.S. autos in the same small car sector: Cavalier, Cobalt, Sunfire, Saturn, etc.

https://www.kbb.com/toyota/celica/2004/

2004 Celica’s:

GT Hatchback 2D $17,905

GT-S Hatchback 2D $22,570

https://www.kbb.com/chevrolet/cavalier/2004/

2004 Cavaliers:

Coupe 2D $15,810

Sedan 4D $15,995

LS Coupe 2D $17,030

LS Sedan 4D $17,230

LS Sport Coupe 2D $18,435

LS Sport Sedan 4D $18,635

For parents buying their kid a car, why spend more when they can spend less?

The 7th Gen Celica did not have the performance that was expected, compared to previous generations.

The 7th Gen Celica was seen as a “hairdresser’s car,” sadly.

The commercials were quirky and gave a quick laugh, but did not help sell the cars.

They even state “Looks fast.” I love my Celica, and it is quick and agile, but it will never outpace a car with a V8.

[–]ConsiderationFull603 5 points  

"The 7th Gen Celica did not have the performance that was expected, compared to previous generations"

Umm what? The only better performing Celica was the gen 6 GT4 which the US didn't even get.

[–]wsbautist420 1 point  

From what I have read/seen, many people seem to think that 5th/6th Gen Celicas have higher build quality. That’s just what I have seen and read over time. People were expecting more.

[–]ArcaneVoid31999 Celica SS-II Superstrut 3 points  

it's not really anything to do with the car but the tightening regulations & environmental considerations, they did a fair bit of cost cutting as well as weight saving. there is an entire section in the release brochure about the sustainable materials used on the interior etc. people always expect more, but most people don't realise how good the car actually is

[–]wsbautist420 1 point  

Gotcha. Makes sense. As mentioned in my comment above, I have had the 2004 GT for 17 years and use it as my DD, even though I also have a Camry that I could drive.

[–]Fwd_fanatic00 GT-S 6 Speed 1 point  

Yupp, Asian auto bubble bursting killed off these cheaper, more reliable and better looking cars.

[–]Celica_GT-four 1 point  

Meanwhile my 95 GT-four sends modern 5.0’s mustangs to gappelbees, 7th gen was a disappointment. Too bad too lots of potential.

[–]ArcaneVoid31999 Celica SS-II Superstrut 3 points  

st205 is about 6 seconds 0-60 no? its really not as fast as you think it is, 7th gen 2zz is only half a second or so behind. a gr86 was tested at 5.4. 7th gen was only a disappointment to people who had unrealistic expectations

[–]Celica_GT-four 1 point  

Box stock maybe, boost controller, intake and exhaust I’ve done a 0-60in 4.7

[–]ArcaneVoid31999 Celica SS-II Superstrut 3 points  

mods don't count

[–]Scarecrow1_KYSR 1 point  

he barely modded it, more like tuned it back up to racing spec I'd say

[–]ArcaneVoid31999 Celica SS-II Superstrut 1 point  

nah it's quite a bit for a turbo engine, and again it needs to be stock vs stock to be a fair comparison

[–]wsbautist420 2 points  

I have had my 2004 Celica for 17 years, and while I love it, it could have been so much more.

[–]Celica_GT-four 2 points  

Sounds like you need a blower on that bad boy

[–]trailerhobbit1995 GT Auto Hatch 5 points  

Honestly, Toyota marketing has always been terrible across the board.

[–]lolly_lolly_lolly 2 points  

Didn't Eddie Murphy do a Celica commercial?

[–]Draxaan 1 point  

With suga suga styling!

[–]Scarecrow1_KYSR 2 points  

the brand has a reputation of reliability, cheap maint. , and longevity. It has taken a hit recently tho, but many still see Toyota as such.

[–]ConsiderationFull603 2 points  

Considering the perception of their reduced reliability in recent years and they continue to sell in massive numbers indicates their marketing is actually top notch.


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