Subaru denies BRZ STI

When Subaru got together with Toyota to develop an affordable, rear-wheel drive sportscar - the BRZ and 86 respectively - both car-makers understood there would be demand for high-performance versions.

However, despite track-tuned concepts, BRZ ‘STI’ spy shots and talk of turbocharged BRZs, Subaru Australia Managing Director says it's unlikely.

Pouring cold water on the idea of a hardcore Subaru BRZ STI, Mr Senior said: “There's a lot of excitement and hype but there's nothing on my product portfolio that says there's an STI BRZ.

“People get a bit excited when someone puts an STI spoiler on something and it becomes an STI ... But there's a difference between putting STI equipment on a car, and the real definition of an STI, (which) is then you start increasing performance and start changing the handling and brakes, etc.”

Subaru Australia showed track-tuned versions of the BRZ at last month’s Sydney motor show and widespread reports have claimed Subaru is in the final stages of developing the BRZ STI concept it debuted at last year’s Los Angeles motor show.

While Subaru has ruled out a turbocharged version, citing a lack of room for an exhaust-driven compressor, intercooler and its associated piping under the BRZ’s low-slung bonnet, improved induction, exhaust, valvetrain and software systems were expected to raise peak revs to 7500rpm and total power output from 147kW to beyond 165kW.

Meantime, Subaru says it will review its local online sales strategy for the BRZ within a few months.

In Australia, the BRZ cannot be bought from a Subaru dealer per se - instead it is sold online (http://www.carsales.com.au/news/2012/sports/subaru/brz/subaru-brz-online-sales-double-31421). Potential buyers put down a deposit, request the colour, spec and options and then are given a delivery time, which can stretch out to beyond a year due to the high demand.

Nevertheless, Mr Senior says the unique online sales strategy has been a huge success, and despite “a degree of cynicism or scepticism ... I think the vast majority (of dealers) realised the situation, where we were with stock”.

To the end of October, 188 BRZs have been sold - a good outcome, says Mr Senior, who says the fate of the online sales strategy will be decided early in 2013.

“The online method has been a success ... something we're still looking at, and we committed to the dealers that we would review it at the end of the year, so we'll continue to do that and whether we pursue that line of selling as an ongoing basis for BRZ, we'll decide probably quarter one, 2013.”

The Subaru Australia boss argues that the online method is the fairest way to allocate cars when demand severely outstrips supply, and hopes that the web-based sales system continues in 2013 for two reasons - because supply will most likely still be very tight and to protect resale values.

“I think there is merit for the online model for something that is in high demand, low supply. I don’t see supply freeing up dramatically in 2013, so I think anything we can do to protect customers who bought BRZ so they can have strong retained value, that would be worth looking at.

“The last thing this car needs is to have one too many than demand, because as soon as you get into that situation you're going to devalue what is a pretty special car.”

Asked if supply would ever match demand, Mr Senior was coy: “I think we can manage it that we'll always have one too few.

“I think everyone's been internally and externally surprised at the reception of BRZ and it just shows there's an opportunity for a car that brings back the pure motoring delight and driving enjoyment that is not priced out of this world,” he said.

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