Subaru may be gearing up to show a concept preview of the next WRX – complete with a five-door hatch body – at the Tokyo motor show later this year, if this teaser image is a guide.
Subaru has teased what appears to be a concept previewing the next-generation WRX performance car – with five doors and a hatch body – ahead of a planned reveal at the Tokyo motor show later this year.
Japanese media attending a Subaru press conference at the Fuji 24 Hours endurance race were shown an image of a mysterious concept with flared wheel arches, a deep front splitter and what appears to be a large rear spoiler.
Tantalisingly – if it is a preview of the next WRX – the car looks to be a five-door hatchback, a body style not offered with the nameplate since the third-generation model departed in 2014.
Limited details of the vehicle – including if it is a WRX – have been confirmed.
Japanese media – including Best Car and Car Watch – cite Subaru chief technical officer Tetsuo Fujinuki as saying it will be revealed at the Tokyo motor show in October.
In the same press conference, Fujinuki-san is said to have announced plans for a new horizontally-opposed (boxer) engine family compatible with carbon-neutral E20 fuel.
It is said to be a next-generation engine – combinings learnings from the company's current offerings, including the 2.4-litre FA24 in the WRX – and it was reportedly implied the unit will be development with a view to use in motorsport.
Details such as its displacement, cylinder count, and whether it will be turbocharged are due at a later date.
The 2.4-litre FA24 engine in today's Subaru WRX has been in production for other vehicles since 2018 – and the engine family has been on the road since 2012 – so it is due for replacement, particularly as emissions rules become more stringent.
Plans for a new WRX STI were scrapped three years ago in part because "it would have [had] a very limited shelf life" under ever-changing emissions rules, according to a Subaru representative at the time.
Fujinuki-san is quoted as saying he would like to see the new engine combined with hybrid technology to boost power.
According to Best Car, Subaru executives present at the media conference also confirmed the next WRX will use an "evolved" all-wheel-drive system developed in Super Taikyu racing, but this has not been verified.
A new generation of the WRX is not expected until 2028, based on the seven-year life of its predecessor, and the 2021 reveal of today's model.
However, it is only a matter of time before Subaru begins previewing the new car with concepts, as it did for the current WRX with 2017's Viziv Performance concept.
An updated Viziv Performance STI show car was presented in early 2018, which was tipped to preview the WRX STI before it was culled.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
