Unlike their fellow Japanese peers Toyota and Nissan, which focused on the 2023 SEMA Show even during the ongoing Japan Mobility Show (formerly the Tokyo Motor Show), Subaru hasn't revealed anything cool and enticing at the beginning of this month for North America.
Nissan, for example, showed that it, too, can play the Porsche 911 Dakar and Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato off-road sports car game with a Safari Rally Z Tribute to the Datsun 240Z from over half a century ago. Toyota, on the other hand, always the generalist, showed everything – from vintage FJ specialty builds to Tundra engine enhancements and Tacoma X-Runner sports truck concepts.
Meanwhile, Subaru of America only announced the pricing details for the 2024 BRZ sports car among other not-so-interesting news – the new starting price is $30,195, and the 2024MY also brings to life the fresh performance-focused BRZ tS trim rocking some STI enhancements and a flagship-grade MSRP of $35,345 (sans $1,120 for destination and delivery). In fact, only the Solterra all-electric crossover SUV has remained a 2023MY; the rest of the small lineup is all up to snuff with the 2024 goodies. But what comes next?
Well, if you ask the imaginative realm of digital car content creators, Subaru might as well surprise everyone and join the novel party of the revived compact pickup truck sector of the American automotive market. However, the rumor mill – and especially the pixel masters, are not so sure about which nameplate will attack the crown of the Ford Maverick or at least set itself between the electrified Blue Oval and the ritzier Hyundai Santa Cruz.
Some say that Subaru will join its partner Toyota in attacking the unibody compact pickup truck sector by reinstating the old-school BRAT nameplate. In contrast, others think the Japanese automaker will be better off reviving the slightly more modern Baja moniker. Meanwhile, the good folks behind the RMD CAR channel on YouTube have decided that it's safer to envision both alternatives.
First, they brought to AI-assisted CGI life the Subaru BRAT with a daring virtual design and an intrepid $23k starting MSRP to rival the cheapest 2024 Ford Maverick perfectly. Now, they also cooked up a Baja revival with quirky styling that would pay homage to the original from 2002-2006 alongside versions that more closely resemble their thoughts of a traditional unibody compact pickup truck.
Speaking of classic dreams, the AutomagzTV channel on YouTube, which calls itself a 'webzine' dedicated to helping us "discover all new cars before anyone else," also has an unofficial vision for a 2025 Subaru Baja with a hybrid powertrain and modern styling. So, which is your favorite, the quirky Baja or the version that feels inspired by the Jeep Gladiator above all else?
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
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