Subaru Revives Performance Lineup with New Sports Vehicle Planning Office
Subaru creates a new team to focus on high-performance cars, with three new manual models coming soon to Japan.
Key Takeaways
- Subaru establishes a new Sports Vehicle Planning Office to focus on high-performance cars.
- Three new manual performance cars are coming soon to Japan, including a potential WRX variant.
- The new team is built under the Product Innovation Division and will handle cars with big turbochargers, sharp suspensions, and manual transmissions.
- Hybrid and EV sales have eased fleet average fuel economy concerns, allowing for the return of high-performance options.
- The new models are not yet confirmed for America, but the U.S. market seems like a natural fit.
What is Subaru’s New Sports Vehicle Planning Office?
Subaru has created a new team, the Sports Vehicle Planning Office (SVPO), to focus on high-performance cars. This team is built under the Product Innovation Division and will be responsible for handling the sorts of cars that made Subaru a big name among enthusiasts in the first place.
The SVPO will likely be the group responsible for the cars getting big turbochargers, sharp suspensions, and manual transmissions. This is a welcome bit of news for a company that has been getting further and further away from its best driver’s cars.
How Did Hybrid and EV Sales Impact Subaru’s Performance Lineup?
According to CTO Tetsuro Fujinuki, hybrid and EV sales have helped ease fleet average fuel economy concerns, allowing for the return of high-performance options. Surging sales of hybrids and rising popularity of a lineup of recently updated EVs have opened the door to re-inject high-performance options into dealerships in Japan, and hopefully, beyond.
Fujinuki notes that the company couldn’t pursue power with the current 2.4L engine installed in the WRX S4 because of its fleet average fuel economy. However, with the success of hybrids and EVs, Subaru can now focus on creating high-performance cars without worrying about fuel economy constraints.
What Kind of Power Can We Expect from Subaru’s New Performance Cars?
Fujinuki hints that the new models could have a power output similar to the 350 hp variant of the FA24 engine used in Super Taikyu racing. This seems like a possible target for the SVPO team’s top products in the near future.
The tooling for the manual transmission used in the last STi, the TY85, is still around and can be brought out of mothballs for new cars. This gearbox can take over 440 ft-lbs of torque and should accept more horsepower than the existing CVT in the WRX.
Will Subaru’s New Performance Cars Come to America?
The new models are not yet confirmed for America, but the U.S. market seems like a natural fit. Given that the U.S. has kept a manual WRX through even this lull in Subaru performance, it’s likely that any fast new Subaru coming down the pipeline will make its way to American dealerships.
What Does This Mean for Subaru’s Future Performance Lineup?
The creation of the SVPO and the upcoming release of three new manual performance cars signal a shift in Subaru’s focus towards high-performance vehicles. This is a welcome change for enthusiasts who have been waiting for Subaru to return to its performance roots.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the Sports Vehicle Planning Office?
The Sports Vehicle Planning Office (SVPO) is a new team established by Subaru to focus on high-performance cars. The SVPO will be responsible for handling the sorts of cars that made Subaru a big name among enthusiasts in the first place.
Q: How did hybrid and EV sales impact Subaru’s performance lineup?
Hybrid and EV sales have helped ease fleet average fuel economy concerns, allowing for the return of high-performance options. Surging sales of hybrids and rising popularity of a lineup of recently updated EVs have opened the door to re-inject high-performance options into dealerships in Japan, and hopefully, beyond.
Q: What kind of power can we expect from Subaru’s new performance cars?
CTO Tetsuro Fujinuki hints that the new models could have a power output similar to the 350 hp variant of the FA24 engine used in Super Taikyu racing.
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Engine | 2.4L |
| Transmission | Manual (TY85) |
| Torque | Over 440 ft-lbs |
| Power Output | Up to 350 hp (FA24 engine) |
