Subaru WRX STI will return

Subaru dropped a bombshell in March when it revealed the next-generation Subaru WRX STI had been terminated.

The Japanese car-maker has since conceded it’s copped a lot of flak for killing off its highest-profile model without warning and tossing aside the rally-bred WRX STI’s 28-year heritage – even if it’s only a temporary measure.

Development of the new-generation model was underway before the axe fell, leaving the new 2022 Subaru WRX as the brand’s performance flagship.

However, a replacement for the STI is still in the works and a range of powertrains are under consideration, including full-electric, hybrid and combustion engines that run on new fuel technologies.

“It’s fair to say STI is a very iconic brand so by nature there’s a lot of passionate people out there,” said Subaru Australia managing director Blair Read.

“We’ve had the full spectrum [of customer feedback], good and bad.”

More than 10,000 Subaru WRX STIs have been sold in Australia over the years, and some cars are now selling on the used-car market for more $200,000 as they become harder to source.

“It’s great that there’s extremely passionate people about the brand; it shows that people care about the brand,” Read told carsales.

“It highlights the passion that’s there and it puts us under pressure as a collective and working with the factory on how we now deliver moving forward for those people.”

What exactly will be delivered, and when? The Subaru Australia boss wouldn’t say.

“I can’t talk about the next STI model at this point, it’s very, very early,” he said.

The new-generation WRX STI was set to be the most compelling and powerful version yet and we can report that development of the banzai small car was underway.

“Development had commenced. A concept had been shown and there had been work that had been progressing on the model,” admitted Read.

So why was the STI abruptly axed?

“It was a combination of factors, and ultimately the primary driver is around fast-tracking the development in new technologies,” he said.

Subaru is expected to revive the WRX STI nameplate when the sixth-generation WRX arrives but that won’t occur until closer to 2030.

That’s a long time between drinks for STI fans.

In the meantime, the STI E-RA concept car will fly the flag for Subaru’s hot-shoe division, propelled by four e-motors that bang out an impressive 800kW of power.

Fed by a 60kWh lithium-ion battery, the E-RA (an acronym for ‘electric record attempt’) is seeking to slam down several record-breaking lap times around the world.

“E-RA is the next iteration in terms of new technologies,” said Read.

“Next year it will do a number of different racetracks in Japan and will go to Europe, aiming to set a record around the Nurburgring.”

He also confirmed that STI, or Subaru Tecnica International, is working on a diverse range of powertrain concepts that could see the retention of combustion engines via synthetic fuels, a la Porsche.

“It’s not just about electric, there’s hybrid, they’re also working on fuel technologies,” he said.

“The engineering and all that knowledge and the people who’ve delivered cars like the WRX STI are the guys working on this.

“That excites me and those are the people that are developing things for what that next [STI] model is going to look like.”

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