Toyota Celica Overview

If Toyota's all-new Celica turns your head, then what's underneath its slick, edgy sheet metal should be more than enough to hold your attention. The 2000 Celica is lighter, more powerful, quicker and --believe it or not -- less expensive than the 1999 model. Not a bad way to start the new millennium.

The first Celica was launched in 1971 as Toyota's answer to the American pony car. It was sporty, nimble and youthful, but also reliable and economical. Celica hasn't changed much for the better part of a decade. It grew stale and seemed expensive.

For 2000, Celica has been completely redesigned. It goes on sale October 1.

This new Celica is the first car guided by genesis, a new, youth-oriented marketing wing of Toyota Motor Sales USA. With cars like Celica and the new ECHO subcompact, genesis will try to woo buyers under age 30 as that group begins flexing its consumer muscle.