Unlike its Japanese peers from Toyota, Honda, or Nissan, Subaru doesn't have nearly as many novelties across the crucial American car market. However, it's no slouch, either.
More precisely, the only models titled 2023MYs are the $45k Solterra all-electric compact crossover SUV, the $28,595 BRZ, and the $30,605 WRX. However, the latter two are coming soon in the 2024 model year – the 2024 BRZ tS is scheduled for early next year, and the 2024 WRX TR, although it was presented earlier than the little coupe, is slated to arrive next spring at nationwide dealerships.
Otherwise, the rest of the lineup is already fresh for 2024 – the $25k Crosstrek, 2024 Forester ($27k), 2024 Outback ($29k), the $34,395 Ascent, and the affordable $23k Impreza plus $25k Legacy. Even better, the all-new 2025 Forester was presented at the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show in November. The sixth generation of the beloved compact crossover SUV will also hit showrooms next spring.
As such, most folks would say that Subaru is pretty well stoked for a while. Well, that certainly doesn't include the rumor mill and the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. For sure, those cannot stop arguing that Subaru also needs one primary vehicle in its lineup to cater to all desires across the US automotive market – they would love to see the Japanese automaker revive one of their popular compact pickup truck nameplates.
Some jumped on board the BRAT revival bandwagon as the "Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter" was presented in 1977 at the time when four-wheel drive coupe utility models like the Chevrolet El Camino and the Ford Ranchero ruled the niche. However, others are not exactly fond of the Ute days and would rather see the modern Baja follow-up (2003-2006) spring back to life as a cool four-door utility concept.
More precisely, the good folks over at the Next-Gen Car and TheAutoReport channels on YouTube have some AI-assisted thoughts about what should come next from Subie – in the form of a couple of distinctive (and completely unofficial) Baja revivals. The design concepts for the reborn unibody compact pickup truck would certainly face stiff competition from the ritzy Hyundai Santa Cruz and the best-selling Ford Maverick – but that doesn't mean there's not enough space for a triumvirate either.
There's just one question left: which of the hypothetical ideas would you like to see in the real world? As far as we are concerned, both versions – from Next-Gen Car and TheAutoReport – need a lot of CGI retouches to make them feasible for production. Not necessarily from the front, where they uphold the current Subaru styling legacy, but rather from the back, where the AI slip-ups are glaringly obvious, especially in the way both pixel masters treat the exhaust system and rear diffusor.
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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