Subaru Impreza halo slips

Subaru Australia says the Impreza will benefit from the move to build its performance oriented WRX and WRX STI variants as standalone models.

Speaking to motoring.com.au at last week's local launch of the new Impreza sedan and hatch, Subaru Australia boss Nick Senior intimated the divorce of Impreza and WRX would be good for the mainstream model's visibility.

But he also flagged the desire to have a halo model in the line-up.

Subaru's marketing for the new Impreza will seek to bring new blood to the brand. According to Senior, the evolution of Impreza gives the marque the ability to target a different audience.

"Previously every Impreza has also been accompanied by a WRX and part of the deliberate strategy is moving WRX and STI to become standalone models as the flag bearer of our sporty model line-up... That gives the Impreza a chance to shine on its own..."

"One of the things that we have noticed over the last ten years, or since WRX joined [the Impreza line-up], is that people associate Impreza with WRX.

"We want to now market more strongly [to mainstream buyers] and see the opportunities with Impreza as standing on its own two feet in this new car segment," he stated.

Answering criticism that the new generation 2.0-litre G4 Impreza was perhaps lacking in performance, Senior defended the new entrant.

"The [small car] segment is not a performance segment. I think in terms of the competition and [with new Impreza] we have a compelling package in terms of fuel economy, emissions, drivability, power...

"The segment was not demanding performance -- there are other cars that can offer that," he told motoring.com.au.

But Senior is hedging his bets... In spite of the segment "not demanding performance" he says he would personally like to see the addition of a model in line with the "old RS Impreza".

"You know may be the engine capacity may not be different – [perhaps] engine configuration or whatever... But it would be nice to have a sporty car at the top end of the [Impreza range]... You know sitting probably just under the WRX."

Indeed, don't hold your breath just yet for a big-bore sporty. Senior points out the outgoing Impreza RS shared all of its mechanicals with standard Impreza variants.

"We had two years with a 2.5-litre Impreza on the back of one of the, if I may say so myself, successful motorsport promotions in putting an RS into rallying as a junior [class] sort of thing, and it’s worked well to the extent that everyone thinks we’ve still got an RS with 2.5...

"The thing is, we haven’t had a [2.5-litre] RS for years. There’s been a 2.0-litre and in more recent times it’s been an RS that is exactly the same engine as the R or the RX."

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