This is it, Subaru, we won’t continue to tolerate this behaviour.
Once again the brand has revealed a stunning concept car, the Performance-B STI Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show, and die-hard Subie fans await with baited-breath the company to green light a production model.
Unfortunately, the rest of the industry, and the more cynical Subaru fans (of which I would count myself amongst), aren’t holding our breath. Instead we’re resigned to the fact that while all signs point to this being a revival of the WRX and WRX STI hot hatch, there is every chance the brand will under-deliver… again.
Subaru has earned itself a reputation for over-promising and under-delivering – which, in case you’re wondering, is the opposite of what you should do. Of course concept cars rarely carry over to production with minimal changes, but Subaru’s recent legacy of stunning teasers and stunted production cars has made fans cautious to believe anything the company says.
The prime example of this behaviour is the current WRX. The 2017 Subaru Viziv Performance was a beautiful and dramatic concept car that seemed to indicate the next-generation WRX would be a true stand-alone model, with a unique body compared to the Impreza, something more coupe-like.
Instead, what we got was clearly a sedan version of the Impreza, with some black cladding on the wheel arches. It couldn’t have been further from the Viziv concept and fans noticed.
Sure, the new WRX is a worthy member of the lineage, but it started off on the back foot because Subaru promised it would be something greater.
The Performance-B STI Concept clearly suggests Subaru is considering bringing back the WRX in hatchback form, and potentially the fire-breathing STI hero model. Or at least that’s what I’d say if this was any other car brand other than Subaru.
Instead there is every chance this is just another headline-grabbing concept the company can’t or won’t build. And if that’s the case, then we should really stop paying attention to all future Subaru concept cars.
But they really should bring back the WRX and WRX STI hatch, sure the iconic performance car began life as a rally-homologation version of the Impreza sedan in the 1990s, but enthusiasts love a hot hatch.
The lack of a more potent STI variant is even more telling, as it further distances the WRX, and Subaru in general, from its rallying heritage. For a brand that so proudly declares its rally roots, it is starting to feel like the distant past.
The company left the World Rally Championship at the end of 2008, that’s 16 seasons ago. For someone like two-time WRC champion Kalle Rovanpera, Subaru simply isn’t a part of their core WRC memories anymore.
As a brand, Subaru is facing a genuine existential threat in the rapidly changing automotive landscape. While the Crosstrek, Forester and Outback remain its core models and relatively popular, the new threats from the emerging Chinese brands will continue to put pressure on them.
Subaru needs to play to its strengths and one of its biggest is its performance car heritage with the WRX STI, so if this latest tease proves to be another let down, it could hurt the brand in more ways than just disappointing WRX fanboys.
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