NEW YORK MOTOR SHOW: Subaru starts countdown to next WRX

Rex is back! With the covers already off its hybrid-powered XV Crosstek, Subaru looks set to unveil another surprise at this week’s New York motor show – the fifth-gen WRX.

It has been two years since Subaru took the wraps of its latest Impreza in New York, enough time, we think, for development of a hotter version.

A closely guarded secret, the “all-new performance concept” Subaru says it will reveal in New York is a thinly disguised production version of the MY14 WRX.

The model is expected to share its underpinnings with the current Impreza, its motivation likely to spring from a turbocharged version of the FA 2.0-litre direct-injected Boxer found under the bonnet of the BRZ.

The jury’s still out as to whether a hybridised version of the WRX will join the fold. Subaru’s Advanced Tourer Concept, previewed at the 2012 Tokyo motor show, was at one time considered a preview of the next WRX, and a clear break from the Impreza-derived body style used previously. Though news on this front, too, has fallen by the wayside.

Subaru has also revealed a ‘new corporate look’ with its Viziv concept at the recent Geneva motor show, a face that would make a fitting debut on the brand’s new high-powered halo model.

Speaking to motoring.com.au this week, Subaru Australia’s head of corporate affairs, David Rowley, was tight-lipped, saying simply: “We don’t have any more detail from FHI (Fuji Heavy Industries) at this stage”.

But motoring.com.au’s snouts have confirmed that the new Rex will be Subaru’s New York star. If the timing we’re told is correct, the new WRX could be in local showrooms early next year (2014).

The New York motor show begins with a press preview on March 27 and will open to the public on March 29. The show runs through until April 7.

For the latest New York motor show news at motoring.com.au

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site