Subaru has revealed the future of its performance brand STI at the Japan Mobility Show, with two superb concepts called the Performance-E STI and the Performance-B STI.
Can you talk about the Performance-E first of all?
Sure can. It, along with the Performance-B, seems to represent an about-face from Subaru's top brass, as the company tried to distance itself from its sporting heritage some time ago. Indeed, the WRX STI went off sale in 2018 as the company transitioned towards making just SUVs and EVs.
To be fair, the Performance-E STI Concept could be described as both of those things: Subaru hasn't revealed much technical detail on this incredible-looking machine, but we know it is a battery-electric vehicle and it looks pretty big and chunky.
Hopefully, this will be a dual-motor model if and when it makes it to production, tying in with Subaru's all-wheel-drive traditions. All Subaru obliquely says about the Performance-E right now is that it "represents the future of the performance scene”, and that the E "combines thrilling aesthetic proportions with outstanding aerodynamics and practicality, with a design that evokes the brand's heritage while providing a driver-friendly layout and a comfortable, spacious interior”.
Sounds promising. Can we move on to the Performance-B?
This one's even more intriguing. It's essentially an STI version of the current production Impreza, and because the WRX continues in the US and Subaru's homeland of Japan then this can be considered a potential replacement for those cars.
Again, technical data is extremely thin on the ground, although Subaru did confirm it will feature a horizontally opposed (boxer) internal-combustion engine and the company's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive.
No word on whether this STI might make it to more global markets than just the two above, but it is known that the company is keen to leverage its sporty past once more and it signed off on the Japanese show car by saying the Performance-B STI Concept "[offers] more customers the chance to experience the joy of driving”.