The Subaru WRX is going off-sale in Japan, an announcement which triggered panic among performance car enthusiast circles as the sedan has been dwindling in popularity in recent years.
However, buyers in Australia and other markets where the WRX is sold needn’t worry, as the iconic model remains in showrooms and will continue down the production line for the foreseeable future.
The concern started after Subaru’s Japanese WRX model page posted an update, saying it would “cease accepting new orders as of May 18, 2026, due to the end of production”, adding the “WRX S4 STI Sport grade will be discontinued with the current model”.
While the statement of it being the “end of production” sparked concern, this is limited to the Japanese market only, where it’s understood the WRX – sold there as the WRX S4 – is going through a model year changeover, which will include the launch of the WRX STI Sport♯.
It’s worth noting that this will be the first time the WRX will be available with a manual transmission in Japan since the VB-generation model launched in 2021, despite the three-pedal option being sold in Australia and North America.
As reported by Japanese publication Creative Trend, the WRX STI Sport♯ will be released via a lottery in April, but only 600 examples will be available to the market.
Following this, the report claims the WRX will undergo a handful of changes, such as dropping its 245mm-wide tyres for 225mm-wide rubber, and no longer feature a “balanced engine”.
Though it didn’t expand on the latter comment, tighter emissions regulations in Japan could impact production for the local market, however it’s unlikely to change the WRX lineup in Australia.
Here, the WRX range remains on sale, and only earlier this was expanded with the launch of the WRX Club Spec Evo, reviving the long-defunct Australia-only nameplate, and limited to just 75 examples.
US outlets have also confirmed the WRX will continue on sale in North America, with production from Japan unchanged.
Globally, the WRX sedan is powered by a turbocharged 2.4-litre ‘boxer’ four-cylinder engine, making 202kW and 350Nm in Australian examples.
While an impending update to the Levorg wagon – sold in Australia as the WRX Sportwagon – has been linked to the model going hybrid, this has yet to be confirmed by Subaru.
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