Photo: bestcarweb.jp
With the introduction of the Subaru Global Platform, the Tokyo-based automaker has taken a different direction. After the Impreza, Crosstrek, Forester, and Ascent, we’re waiting for the plug-in hybrid Crosstrek to go official in the United States of America, but Subaru won’t stop here.
Presented in March 2016, the vehicle architecture has been developed for all-electric powertrain as well. The first EVs will be introduced in Japan in 2021, and the focus is to release “electric versions of established gasoline-powered models.” On the flip side, where does this leave the WRX, WRX STI, and BRZ rear-wheel-drive sports car?
The WRX STI is coming, alright, most likely in 2020 with a high-performance version of the 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer engine. There’s talk about electric assistance for the rally-bred sedan, and of course, if you were wondering, the BRZ is expected in 2021.
But ever since the Global Platform wasn’t known from the public, there were rumors regarding a mid-engine Subaru. Reports from the Japanese media, dating back to 2016, suggest that Subaru is already testing chassis mules in the Land of the Rising Sun, complete with electric assistance.
An insider who wishes to remain anonymous then added fuel to the fire, claiming that the higher-ups are still thinking about the newcomer. On the other hand, the unnamed source said that “a [mid-engine] coupe seems more likely” than a high-performance crossover.
This gets us to the current issue of Best Car, which features a rendering of the plug-in hybrid Viziv GT and the same old rumor regarding the mid-engine layout. Regardless of what’s happening behind closed doors at Subaru, the Japanese automaker needs a halo vehicle with more pizzazz than the WRX STI and BRZ, that's for sure!
Even Hyundai, after tasting success with the i30 N and Veloster N, is toying around with the idea of a mid-engined sports car. The South Korean automaker has been photographed testing chassis mules on the Nurburgring, and with the Theta III engine scheduled to premiere in 2019, the future looks extremely bright for the N division.
What do you think about Subaru? Should the mid-engine sports car happen or would it be better to repurpose the development budget on other, more high-volume projects?
The WRX STI is coming, alright, most likely in 2020 with a high-performance version of the 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer engine. There’s talk about electric assistance for the rally-bred sedan, and of course, if you were wondering, the BRZ is expected in 2021.
But ever since the Global Platform wasn’t known from the public, there were rumors regarding a mid-engine Subaru. Reports from the Japanese media, dating back to 2016, suggest that Subaru is already testing chassis mules in the Land of the Rising Sun, complete with electric assistance.
An insider who wishes to remain anonymous then added fuel to the fire, claiming that the higher-ups are still thinking about the newcomer. On the other hand, the unnamed source said that “a [mid-engine] coupe seems more likely” than a high-performance crossover.
This gets us to the current issue of Best Car, which features a rendering of the plug-in hybrid Viziv GT and the same old rumor regarding the mid-engine layout. Regardless of what’s happening behind closed doors at Subaru, the Japanese automaker needs a halo vehicle with more pizzazz than the WRX STI and BRZ, that's for sure!
Even Hyundai, after tasting success with the i30 N and Veloster N, is toying around with the idea of a mid-engined sports car. The South Korean automaker has been photographed testing chassis mules on the Nurburgring, and with the Theta III engine scheduled to premiere in 2019, the future looks extremely bright for the N division.
What do you think about Subaru? Should the mid-engine sports car happen or would it be better to repurpose the development budget on other, more high-volume projects?
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