The steady march of teasers being released ahead of this year’s Japan Mobility Show continues. Following Mitsubishi’s announcement of an electric crossover SUV concept, Toyota’s tease of a new Corolla concept, and Mazda’s glimpse of a new coupe-like sedan, it’s Subaru’s turn to show us what it’s got. And we’re happy to report it’s got something good.
Subaru will be showing not one, but two STI-themed concept cars at this year’s Japan Mobility Show. One of the concepts will be fully electric, while the other will be powered by the brand’s familiar boxer engine with horizontally opposed pistons. The former is called the Performance-E STI concept and the latter is named the Performance-B STI concept.
Along with this announcement, Subaru also released teaser shots showing a sliver of each car’s front fender and headlight on the driver’s side. Both appear to be painted with the brand’s famous World Rally Blue Pearl.
Is The STI Returning?
What makes the Performance-E STI concept (above) and the Performance-B STI concept (below) so exciting is that the world has been bereft of a production STI model for going on five years now. Does the appearance of a pair of STI-themed concepts indicate the WRX STI will be revived in the near future? Yes and no.
It’s always possible that concept cars can turn into real production cars, even unlikely ones. The best example is the Dodge Viper, which as a concept car elicited excited would-be owners to send blank checks to Chrysler Corporation to convince the company to build it. Likewise, Subaru will be gauging reaction to these two concepts very closely, and may well decide on a future STI car’s powertrain based on which one generates Viper-like enthusiasm.
That said, Subaru, like all automakers, has a history of giving the world exciting concepts only to do nothing with them. For example, early on in the life of the Subaru BRZ, the company showed multiple STI versions as concept cars. Fans went crazy over the idea of more power for their favorite little rear-wheel-drive sports car, but it never materialized. This could be more of the same.
Based on the teasers, which include a screenshot of the automaker’s Japan Mobility Show website, we speculate the gas-powered Performance-B STI concept looks more production ready than the electric Performance-E STI concept. Its headlight and fender appear more aligned with what a production Subaru model looks like than the other concept does. The Performance-E STI concept appears more like a proper concept with an impossibly aerodynamic design. The silhouettes of both concepts on the company’s landing page also reveal they’re both hatchbacks, each with their own large spoiler hanging off the top of their rear ends.
TopSpeed’s Take
Subaru
No one would be more excited about the return of the WRX STI than us, but we’re not going to get our hopes up. It hurts too much when they go unfulfilled. So until Subaru says publicly that one of these concepts (or both) will go into production, we’ll assume neither will.
It’s worth noting that while Subaru does sell a few all-electric vehicles now, they’re all built in conjunction with similar Toyota models. Toyota would likely have to build an electric GR Corolla in order for Subaru to get a WRX STI EV.
There are also region-specific concerns. Europe is ever tightening its emissions standards, while the current administration in the U.S. just dismantled ours. Perhaps that’s why Subaru is showing two STI concepts, each with a different powertrain; the electric one is for eco-conscious Europeans while America will get the gasser.