Subaru Is Bringing A Pair Of STI Concepts To The Tokyo Motor Show

Subaru’s STI performance badge has been in a bit of a state of limbo since the last proper WRX STI went off sale in 2021. There have been STI-badged cars offered in various markets, but they’ve basically amounted to little more than sporty trim levels. When a fully-fledged STI-developed product finally did return at the start of this year, it was a CVT-only let-down made in tiny numbers for Japan.

The company, though, has long maintained it still has bigger ambitions for STI, and we’re due to get another glimpse of those ambitions at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month. It’s announced it’s exhibiting not one but two STI concept cars, and has provided little teasers of each ahead of their reveal.

Let’s start with the one you’re probably less interested in, but that’s likely more relevant to Subaru’s long-term plans with STI. It’s called the Performance-E, and yes, the ‘E’ stands for electric. We’re promised a design that blends aerodynamics and practicality with nods to Subaru’s heritage, a ‘driver-friendly layout’ and ‘a comfortable, spacious interior’. It’s certainly covering lots of bases, then.

Otherwise, we just know it’ll bring ‘various innovative technologies’ to the table. No word on what these technologies might be, but it’s a fast EV, so expect the usual suite of torque vectoring wizardry and perhaps some sort of simulated gearbox.

Likely to get your attention a bit more, though, is the Performance-B. ‘B’ in this case, thankfully, stands for boxer, because this is set to be a hot Subaru of the old school, blending a rumbly flat-four engine with the company’s in-house Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive. Just like all those Subarus you used to love, then. 

Again, we don’t know a whole lot more about it right now, but it appears to be based on the existing WRX, complete with some very beefy wheel arches. Back in June, we were treated to a particularly blurry teaser of a similarly wide-arched, WRX-resembling car, which was slated for reveal at the Tokyo Show – there’s a good chance this could be that car.

Whether either makes it past the concept stage is another matter entirely – Subaru has a bit of a habit of bringing cool concepts along to Tokyo that remain just that. While in the past, the company’s hinted at an electric-only future for STI, we wouldn’t be surprised if sluggish demand for hot EVs has it reconsidering that plan in the short term. On the other hand, we’re not sure we see the proper old-school hot Impreza recipe ever returning in earnest, as much as we’d like to.

If nothing else, though, both of these concepts show that Subaru still has plenty of love for the STI badge. We’ll find out more about them when the Tokyo Show opens on 30 October.