Subaru previews EV performance plans with fearsome STI concept

Subaru has given a glimpse at the future of its STI performance brand with a wild new sports car concept at the Tokyo motor show.

The Performance-E STI concept "represents the future of the performance scene, spearheading Subaru's new generation", the company said.

Subaru has given very few details of the concept but says it has been designed with influence from the brand's heritage and offers a "driver-friendly layout and a comfortable, spacious interior".

It is also understood to feature two driven axles, in line with the STI brand's affinity for four-wheel-drive, rally-honed performance.

The concept comes shortly after Subaru Europe boss David Dello Stritto told Autocar: "There are plans to bring back the sportiness in Subaru."

He said the brand had a reputation for selling cars that were "safe, fun and tough" (SFT), but said there were opportunities to consider relaunching a performance model, with the previous Impreza WRX STI bowing out of Europe nearly a decade ago.

"There’s a fourth pillar I’ve been missing to sell in Europe for the last 10 years and that’s P, for power and performance,” he said. “Ask the average person what Subaru means and they’ll say STI. You can’t disassociate this from Subaru.

“So we need to bring sportiness back to Subaru. Right now, we couldn’t do it: Europe says you can’t, because you have a GPF [gasoline particulate filter] that can literally choke your engine.”

Primarily for that reason, he said, electric vehicles present an interesting opportunity to reinvent the STI brand – because "you've got the power and performance, and you've got an all-wheel drive system", the latter being an intrinsic element of Toyota's performance heritage.

"We're working on more sporty models and electrification allows us to do this", he said, and the Performance E-STI appears to be the manifestation of that ambition.

Notably, it has been revealed just a few weeks ahead of the 30th anniversary of Colin McRae's WRC title victory at the wheel of the Subaru Impreza 555 and clearly takes some influence from the iconic Group A dominator in its dark blue paint, gold wheels and pink STI detailing.

It does not appear to be based on any current production model, but as a rakish, four-door fastback, it could preview a successor to the current Subaru Legacy, which has been on sale outside of the UK for six years.