Skip to main content

Subaru’s new WRX Concept goes low and lean – will they build it?

At the 2013 New York Auto Show, Subaru unveiled a concept version of the next WRX performance car. The turbocharged WRX all-wheel-drive rally car has been terrorizing New England roads since 2001, but it’s definitely time for a new one.

The WRX is based on the Impreza, but even though a redesigned Impreza debuted for the 2013 model year, Subaru hasn’t turned it into a WRX. Current WRXs are based on the previous-generation Impreza chassis.

Based on this dramatic concept car, it’s hard to tell if the next WRX will be another hot version of the Impreza. There are some Impreza styling cues in the grille, but the whole car looks completely different. Its sleek, muscular lines make it look like Subaru is jumping on the “four-door coupe” bandwagon.

Check out this video from Subaru:

Some classic Subaru performance styling cues, like the hood scoop and fender vents, are also apparent. As is customary with Subaru, the concept is painted World Rally Blue.

Some of these proportions probably won’t make it into a production car, especially the low coupe-like roofline.

We’re not sure if the safety yellow brake calipers, badges, and exhaust tips will catch on, but they do attract attention.

Subaru wouldn’t share any information about the future WRX, but hopefully it will have the performance to match this concept’s styling.

Editors' Recommendations

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Tesla to begin production on new, more affordable models
Tesla Model 3

With competition increasing from Chinese and other automakers, Tesla boss Elon Musk revealed on Tuesday that his company is planning to begin production of new, more affordable models in “early 2025, if not late this year.” Notably, that's earlier than the previously stated date of late 2025, though whether Musk actually succeeds in meeting the earlier production time frame is another question entirely.

The news came as Tesla released its latest quarterly figures. Revenue for the electric vehicle maker came in at $21.3 billion, down from the $23.3 billion it reported for the same three-month period a year earlier and also down from the $25.2 billion reported in the previous quarter. Profit reached $1.1 billion, marking a 55% fall compared to the same period a year ago.

Read more
Mercedes G580 electrifies an off-road icon
Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology front quarter.

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is Germany’s answer to Jeep, Hummer, and Land Rover. Combining traditional Mercedes luxury with serious off-road capability, the G-Class, or Geländewagen, as it’s formally known, is right at home on the trail or the valet stand. And now it’s going electric.

Mercedes has been teasing an electric G-Class since 2021, and now it’s finally arrived in the form of the G580 with EQ Technology. Expected to go on sale in the U.S.as a 2025 model alongside refreshed gasoline G-Class variants, it uses electric powertrain tech to update a classic design and enhance off-road capability.

Read more
Lamborghini’s Urus SE plug-in hybrid tries to do it all
Lamborghini Urus SE front quarter.

Lamborghini built its reputation with outrageous supercars like the Miura, Countach, and Diablo, but today its bestseller is the Urus SUV. And a new plug-in hybrid version of that car could make or break the automaker’s push to hybridize its entire lineup by the end of 2024.

Debuting at the 2024 Beijing Auto Show, the Lamborghini Urus SE is the automaker’s second plug-in hybrid, following the Revuelto supercar unveiled in 2023, and precedes a plug-in hybrid replacement for the Huracán, which will be unveiled later this year.

Read more