Over the years, Subaru has had very few pickup trucks in its lineup. The first was a BRAT, while the other only considered Baja adventures. Oh wait, that's not it.
Instead, the Japanese automaker first introduced the Subaru BRAT (an acronym for 'Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter') as a light-duty 4WD coupe utility variant of the Subaru Leone four-wheel drive station wagon model. The more compact rival to Chevrolet's El Camino and Ford Ranchero was marketed from 1978 to 1994 over two generations and spawned an indirect successor.
That one was the Subaru Baja, produced in the United States by Subaru of Indiana Automotive, as an all-wheel-drive four-door compact utility model for four passengers and cargo. It was only sold between the model years 2003 and 2006, with the concept derived from the Subaru Legacy/Outback models. Seen as a bit controversial in the times, Subaru only sold around 30k units over four years of production.
However, this 'fashion statement' in the coupe utility/unibody compact pickup truck sector made a lasting impression on many automotive enthusiasts. Enough so that even today, we see a lot of whispers and rumors circulating around Subie town – and some of them point to a potential resurrection of the BRAT or Baja nameplates.
Well, it makes sense from a marketing standpoint. America is back in love with compact pickup trucks after a rather long hiatus, and it's all thanks to just two models – the ritzy Hyundai Santa Cruz (produced in the US) and the Mexico-born, rugged, and electrified Ford Maverick best seller. As such, no one is all too surprised that more automakers are mulling the option of joining the unibody compact pickup truck party sooner rather than later.
Regarding Japanese automakers, the most common rumor revolves around Toyota bringing back the Stout nameplate from the nether or simply deriving the Corolla Cross compact crossover SUV as a Maverick and Santa Cruz foe. However, that's not always the view of the imaginative realm of digital car content creators.
The Halo oto channel on YouTube mainly provides fresh automotive info corroborated with their virtual designs; now, there are some CGI ideas about a new Subie Baja on the horizon instead of a Toyota Corolla Cross pickup truck. And the resident pixel master wasn't afraid to take drastic action with this unofficial depiction of the potential revival; we'll give him that.
So, instead of something that mimics the current Subaru Outback Wilderness adventure station wagon, the channel's CGI expert went out on a limb with a compact unibody pickup truck that looks straight out of the future. The styling is both daring and completely out of touch with anything that Subaru makes these days – it's more Rivian-like if you will allow the comparison and if the startup would ever build an ICE-powered compact unibody pickup truck. So, cool – or not cool?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News