- Subaru teases two new STI Performance concepts
- One is electric, one is petrol
- A ’design that evokes the brand’s heritage’, says Subaru
- Blue paint and gold wheels can surely only mean one thing… right!?
This is not a drill - Subaru might be on the cusp of relaunching its legendary Impreza WRX STI.
Back in the late 1980s, Subaru set up the performance ‘Subaru Tecnica International’, or STI, division, to help it blitz the World Rally Championship.
The people in white coats at STI helped to make the late great Colin McRae an idol among petrolheads.
And the firm’s STI badge was slapped on its most potent cars - including the Impreza (later simply known as the ‘WRX’), Legacy, and the Forester.
Here in the UK, we haven’t seen a proper STI model since 2017’s WRX STI Final Edition (below), as Subaru instead switched its focus to rough ‘n’ tough off-roaders for Tweed-wearing rural folks and those who need to pull horse boxes.
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But should modern Subaru fans discard their Barbour jackets and reach for their baseball caps instead…?
The news comes from the Japan Mobility Show 2025, where Subaru is going to make an announcement on October 29th.
Ahead of that date, Subaru has teased the ‘world premiere of two STI concept models’ - one electric, one petrol.
Blue paint, gold wheels, red ‘STi’ badge at the front and hot hatchback shape - colour us excited.
What is the Subaru Performance-E STI concept (pictured above)?
This battery electric vehicle (BEV) concept is ‘spearheading Subaru’s new generation’ of performance cars, the firm says, and combines ‘thrilling aesthetic proportions with outstanding aerodynamics and practicality’.
It also boasts a design that ‘evokes the brand’s heritage while providing a driver-friendly layout and a comfortable, spacious interior’.
Subaru also reckons fans are in for an ‘exhilarating driving experience’.
What is the Subaru Performance-B STI concept (pictured above)?
This is Subaru’s internal combustion engine concept. Like hoonigan Subarus of old, it gets a horizontally opposed engine and Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive.
A Subaru spokesperson adds: “This model expands the range of options that deliver the Subaru difference, offering more customers the chance to experience the joy of driving.”
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Does Subaru currently sell performance models outside of the UK?
It does, yes, and it’s worth pointing out that the Impreza is still on sale in markets like America, albeit in watered-down form compared with what fans are traditionally used to.
The US Impreza gets a humble 180hp in range-topping ‘RS’ form.
Across the Pond, you can also enjoy the Subaru WRX, which is a rally-inspired performance saloon powered by a 2.4-litre Boxer engine and which chucks out power of 271hp - which is still somewhat short of the 300hp available with the WRX STI Final Edition that British drivers got back in 2017.
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