More details emerge of 2018 Subaru WRX

The 2018 Subaru WRX will be based on ageing architecture, it has been confirmed, all but ruling out a much-touted petrol-electric performance offering.

Unlike the garden-variety Impreza launched in Australia this week based on the Japanese manufacturer’s new global platform – enabling features such as a hybrid drivetrain - the updated WRX will persist on an older platform, motoring.com.au has learned.

That means rumoured plans by Subaru to launch a new powertrain incorporating a revised version of the FA20 2.0-litre turbocharged engine with an electric will be postponed for at least another 12 months.

A senior engineer with Subaru tempered expectations around the 2018 WRX model this week.

“The WRX will have a facelift soon, not a full model cycle, because the new model just launched in 2015,” the source said, adding “that’s only last year”.

“The full model cycle will be about four or five years, and that’s when you’ll see a full model.

“We would love to have the WRX on the new platform, because the car would be a lot better … but the 2018 will be a facelift only.”

There’s been talk that the new performance cars could take advantage of electrification to reduce their CO2 emissions while increasing acceleration. The new Subaru Global Platform (or SGP) the Impreza is based on features hybrid module compatibility.

In other words, it’s relatively straightforward to engineer an electric motor into the cars, which could incorporate a motor-drive rear axle in a new-generation all-wheel drive system for performance models.

Citing the time needed to properly develop and tune a performance model, the engineer said Subaru stakeholders would struggle to do the WRX justice if they were to embark on a last minute lifecycle change.

“With this new platform and the turbo engine in it, you could do a lot of things,” the engineer hinted.

“It’s not the cost, but everything goes through a production cycle. You can’t shorten that production cycle, there’s many things to consider such as durability testing and likewise. It’s not as simple as taking the turbo engine out of one car and presto, off you go.

“You’re talking about complete suspension tune and a development team. It’s a big process.”