Next Subaru WRX due in 2020 as 'driver's car' with electrified powertrains

Subaru is developing its next WRX to be a driver's car that takes influence from the striking Viziv Performance concept and comes with electrified powertrains.

Company design chief Mamoru Ishii told Autocar that feedback had been good following the Viziv's reveal at the Tokyo motor show, suggesting he has confidence in leaving much of the look unchanged for the final car, which is due in 2020.

“Such a car brings lots of expectation, from within the company and from our customers,” said Ishii. “What we know is that our customers’ lifestyles are changing and we have to respond to that. The question was whether we have done that in a correct way with this concept.

“For instance, we know that autonomous and connective technology are coming, and for many customers that is great, but we don’t think that is what all of our customers want. For some, driving pleasure is still very important and that is what we are exploring.”

Ishii said initial reaction had been positive and that he was eager to see design themes such as the taut body shape offset by flourishes such as the wheel arches and bonnet scoop – elements that he considered part of Subaru’s DNA. “We have built up this tradition with the Legacy, Impreza and WRX,” he said. “We want it to look fast even when it is parked.”

Although the concept features Subaru’s boxer engine and symmetrical all-wheel drive, Ishii hinted that only the latter was critical to customers.

The car sits on the new Subaru Global Platform, which will underpin the majority of its future vehicles and can, said Ishii, incorporate other powertrains and include a plug-in hybrid set-up. He explained: “Four-wheel drive is critical to the power and performance levels our customers expect, but on the engine we have more freedom.”

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