Subaru teases future WRX racer
SUBARU HAS PREVIEWED the future shape of the WRX with the Viziv Performance Concept, which has been shown at the Tokyo Motor Show.
The firm has released few details about the concept but describes the model as a sports sedan that draws on the race and rally heritage of the Legacy, Impreza and WRX. It features Subaru’s boxer engine and symmetrical all-wheel drive, although no performance figures have been released.
The Performance Concept features a more aggressive front grille than on the recently revealed new Impreza, along with more angular styling and larger sculpted wheel arches. The concept is 4630mm long and 1950mm wide, with a 2730mm wheelbase.
Subaru has said the Performance Concept is focused on ‘driving enjoyment’, but it has been designed to include a range of advanced driver-assistance systems that Subaru is aiming to launch in 2020.
Viziv – a contraction of ‘vision for innovation’ – has been used by Subaru as the name for a series of show concepts.
Subaru also used the Tokyo show to showcase a new Japan-only limited-run WRX STI special edition. The S208 produces 324bhp, which matches the 2015 S207 special edition, but Subaru says the 2.0-litre four-cylinder has been tuned for greater acceleration and torque output. It also features 19in wheels and Active Torque Vectoring, and a new carbonfibre roof that helps lower the centre of gravity.
Just 450 examples of the S208 will be built, including 350 in a special NBR Challenge Package that features Cool Grey Khaki paint.