Subaru Impreza WRX STI Carbon, Debut in Tokyo

Japanese manufacturer Subaru has set out to impress the crowd which will attend the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show next month, with a exclusively tuned version of the Subaru WRX. Dubbed STI Carbon, this special version is based on the STI A-line model.

Unfortunately, what lies underneath the fancy WRX STI Carbon name is just that: carbon, featured from place to place on the body of the car. As Subaru says, this STI "features the use of carbon material in the roof." And really, that's about it. We're not even going to take into account the "suede fabric used in the interior" which "enhances driving excitement and pride of ownership."

This time however, the STI received a 5 speed automatic transmission to go with the engine, unlike the regular version which uses a manual 6-speed. Again, this will not mean much in terms of performance.

The Japanese have made a better job with a new tweak to the WRX with the release of the spec C this July. Although itself not a revolution in performance, the spec C did bring some engine tweaks which allows it to provide quicker response and improved accelerating performance.

The STI will catch the aforementioned crowd's eye for probably two minutes, because we must admit, even if doesn't do much, it looks fine. And then all will turn to the Hybrid Tourer. This one will really the star of the Subaru presentation. The car will feature a 2.0l horizontally-opposed turbocharged engine, paired with Subaru's Lineatronic CVT. The engine is assisted by a hybrid two-motor system which features a power/drive motor in the front and a drive motor in the rear.