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With the Subaru Viziv Performance Concept, be careful getting your hopes up

Subaru fans have reason to be excited. The company revealed the Viziv Performance Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show, and it's pretty obvious that it's a preview of a future WRX. The big vents, hood scoop, fenders, and its sedan profile all shout WRX. Someone from Subaru's design department even confirmed that the study could influence the next model. While admiring the concept's lines and imagining the next model, we, as well as some of our commenters, realized that we should keep our hopes and expectations low. The reason for this is that Subaru pulled a bit of a bait-and-switch with WRX styling before, back in 2013. That year, the company revealed the WRX Concept. It, like the Viziv Performance Concept, was a vented, scooped, flared, low-roof interpretation of the next WRX. Everyone loved it, and they were psyched to see a Subaru that could truly be described as beautiful, rather than say, unique, or interesting, or different, or any other kindhearted euphemism. View 11 Photos Then Subaru unveiled the production WRX for 2015. To the company's credit, it did manage to include design cues from the concept such as the fender flare lines and fascia shape, and it shared very few exterior panels with the Impreza. Unfortunately, it was still based on the Impreza platform, and those lines had to be pulled in and compressed onto the tall and narrow economy car. Without the low roof, ultra-wide fenders, and long, defined trunk, the car lost a lot in translation. The result thoroughly disappointed, and on occasion infuriated, fans. Basically, we've been burned before by Subaru's concepts. Heck, if you want more proof, take a look at the Subaru BRZ STI Performance concept that had a turbocharged engine. And yet, we still have no turbo BRZ on the market. But just because we're trying to be realistic doesn't mean Subaru won't surprise us with a close-to-concept WRX in the future. And the company is showing some signs that its concepts are more realistic. Looking at the evolution of the Viziv-7 concept into the Ascent concept and production prototypes, it seems a lot of the original design has survived. So hope isn't lost, just tempered. Related Video: Featured Gallery Subaru Viziv Performance Concept Tokyo Motor Show View 12 Photos Tokyo Motor Show Subaru Concept Cars Performance Sedan 2017 tokyo motor show subaru wrx concept subaru viziv perfromance concept

California adapts ZEV mandate with PHEVs for smaller automakers

California is the nation's largest market for zero-emissions vehicles with over 100,000 of them estimated to be on the roads there. The state's goal is to keep that number growing every year. To that end, the California Air Resources Board is now tweaking its rules in a way that might not boost ZEVs but could mean more plug-in hybrids for the Golden State. Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, and Volvo asked for an exemption to the state's zero-emissions vehicle mandate last year due to their relatively small development budgets compared to larger automakers. CARB denied their request but did craft a compromise, according to Automotive News. Rather than being required to offer a ZEV in the state, companies with an annual global revenue of less than $40 billion, like those in this group, may instead sell plug-in hybrids to earn ZEV credits. The companies aren't completely off the hook, though. If these plug-in hybrids don't earn enough credits, the corporations must buy them on the market to make up the difference. Automakers with popular electric models like Nissan and Tesla have made a big business through this trading system by selling their surplus to rivals. Tesla alone pocketed $51 million in the first quarter from this part of its business, according to Automotive News. The changes to the regulations also aren't set in stone, yet. CARB is meeting in 2016 and could adjust things further at that time. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req. via Hybrid CarsImage Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images Government/Legal Green Jaguar Land Rover Mazda Mitsubishi Subaru Volvo Emissions Electric Hybrid California zev credits zero emissions vehicle

Subaru beefs up new Exiga Crossover 7 in Japan

While we wait for Subaru to roll out a replacement for the troubled Tribeca crossover here in North America, in other markets the Japanese automaker continues to introduce other wagons of varying heights and capacities. Like the Levorg wagon offered in Japan and soon to be introduced in Europe, or the new Exiga Crossover 7 announced for the company's domestic market. We first caught a glimpse of the Exiga in concept form way back at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, and the seven-seat wagon entered production the following year. What sets this version apart is its higher stance, transforming it into a pseudo-crossover in similar fashion to how the Outback transformed the Legacy or the XV Crosstrek builds upon the Impreza. It's based on the same platform as well, and retains the existing Exiga's seven-seat cabin, with three rows of seating that fold down to make the interior volume adaptable to whatever needs might arise. The crossover version also rides higher on 17-inch wheels, with reinforced lower bodywork, a larger front grille and roof rails to give it a more rugged look. Power comes in the form of a 2.5-liter boxer four, mated to a continuously variable transmission and driving 171 horsepower to all four wheels in typical Subaru style. Fuji Heavy figures it will sell around 600 of these every month in Japan, but it looks unlikely to export it to other markets - least of all our own. Jacked up and ruggedized though it may be, our sources at Subaru tell us this vehicle is too small to have anything to do with the Tribeca replacement we've been waiting for and which promises to be a fair bit larger to suit American tastes. (Google-translated) Subaru new "CROSSOVER 7 (crossover Seven)" released April 16, 2015 Fuji Heavy Industries, the crossover model "CROSSOVER 7" of the new genre of "urban SUV x multiplayer car" (official name: "EXIGA CROSSOVER 7") the will be released today. CROSSOVER 7, the interior and exterior that incorporates elements of fashion and authentic SUV, all-weather AWD performance of Subaru unique, combines the 7-seater of packaging full of airy, is the new crossover model. You can also use in a variety of applications, and new proposal as "7-seater SUV" to achieve an active lifestyle.