Subaru is bringing back its legendary STI performance brand with two new concept cars. One will be fully electric and one powered by a combustion engine.
A teaser image released ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show confirms both will take the form of hot hatches.
The EV concept is set to debut a fresh design direction for Subaru, described by the company as the spearhead for its next-generation models. It features distinctive lighting details and a sleeker, more aggressive roofline compared to its petrol-powered sibling.
The combustion model, meanwhile, appears more closely aligned with Subaru’s current range and seems to be based on the Impreza hatchback sold in Japan and parts of Europe. Subaru has confirmed it will use the brand’s trademark boxer engine layout and symmetrical all-wheel-drive system.
These two concepts mark the clearest sign yet of Subaru preparing to revive the STI badge after the final WRX STI ended production in 2021. The current-generation Impreza led to a separate WRX saloon but not a hardcore STI variant.
In recent years, Subaru has distanced itself from its high-performance roots. Back in 2021, former Subaru UK managing director John Hurtig said that the WRX STI “had nothing really to do with the Subaru brand as it is today.”
However, enthusiasm for STI’s return has grown within the company. New UK managing director Lorraine Bishton admitted that overlooking Subaru’s sporting heritage was “a little bit of a missed opportunity.”
Subaru Europe’s boss David Dello Stritto echoed that sentiment earlier this year, saying: “Ask the average person what Subaru means and they’ll say STI. You can’t disassociate this from Subaru.”
He added that “a future WRX STI – super-fast, gold wheels, blue colour” is “what we want.”