2005 Subaru Impreza Wrx Sti Sedan 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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WRX Concept gets walkaround with Subaru design boss Osamu Namba

The Subaru WRX Concept was the only concept car to be mentioned among our Editors' Choice favorites for New York Auto Show debuts this year - snagging the No. 3 spot nonetheless - due to what it could mean to the future of Subaru if it indeed becomes a reality. Now that we've caught our breath from walking countless miles through the Javits Center, Subaru has released a brief video of design boss Osamu Namba describing some of the exterior styling elements of the sporty concept sedan.
While this video is just your basic walkaround that gives no mention of the concept's inspiration or what we can expect from the next-generation WRX, it is still fun to watch Namba explain many of the car's design elements including the more aggressive face, the quadruple exhaust outlets and the signature flared wheel arches and side outlet fender vents. If you liked the WRX Concept as much as we did, scroll down to watch this short video.

Subaru shows racing versions of STI and BRZ

While we gear up for next week's Detroit Auto Show, the 2015 Tokyo Auto Salon is currently on going, and Subaru has marked the occasion by trotting out a pair of new racers. First up, we have the car shown above, with the company's entry to the 2015 Nurburgring 24 Hour Race. Subaru is entering a WRX STI in the grueling endurance race, which runs from May 14 to May 17. The left-hand-drive racer has received a fair crop of upgrades for endurance duty, although Subaru didn't really bother to elaborate on them, unfortunately. Next to the N24 car, Subaru introduced a striking version of its rear-drive BRZ, destined for the Japanese Super GT series. The team campaigning the BRZ will be led by Subaru's Hideharu Tatsumi, who will also be one of the drivers for the Nurburgring effort. Again, Subaru hasn't offered any info on technical changes for the BRZ GT300. Scroll down for the brief press release, and then check out the galleries of both cars. 2015 SUBARU Motorsport Activities Tokyo, January 9, 2015 – Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI) - the maker of Subaru automobiles and Subaru Tecnica International Inc. (STI)* unveiled the new racing car developed from the WRX STI for 24 Hours Nurburgring endurance race in 2015 and announced an outline of Subaru Motorsport activities for 2015 at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2015 with NAPAC (Japan Car Parts and Aftermarket Promotion Association). *: Subaru Tecnica International Inc. (STI; President Yoshio Hirakawa; located in Mitaka, Tokyo) Nurburgring 24-Hour Race STI will participate in the Nurburgring 24-Hour Race (from 14 to 17 May in Germany) for eight consecutive years, with a vehicle whose performance has been enhanced from its base car – the Subaru WRX STI. The race car's performance such as aerodynamics, stability, body rigidity and engine output have been enhanced compared to the previous model. In addition, visibility for racing flags has also been improved by introducing a left-hand drive car. Like last year, Hideharu Tatsumi will take the helm of team operations as team manager, in addition to the development of the car. The drivers are Sasaki (Japan), Lasee (Germany), van Dam (Netherlands) and Tim Schrick (Germany), the winner of 2014 VLN endurance racing championship who newly joins the team. SUPER GT Series Subaru, with the "SUBARU BRZ GT300" race car, will participate in the SUPER GT series this year as well, widely regarded as Japan's top motorsports category.

2015 Subaru Outback

"We like producing cars that are different." That's the company line trumpeted by several Subaru executives during the launch of the 2015 Outback - one of Fuji Heavy's most successful vehicles to date. Managing Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski accurately noted that while Subaru has never really found salvation with its mainstream sedans, it's the higher-riding, butcher offerings like the Outback and the Impreza-based XV Crosstrek that have been sales stars for the Japanese company. In 2013, for example, Subaru sold nearly three Outbacks for every Legacy it moved. And in 2014, the XV is on pace to outsell the Impreza upon which its based.
But Subarus have always been different, catering to unique customers that desire something a bit more special than your run-of-the-mill sedan or crossover. It's clearly worked, with Subaru having posted 30 months of year-over-year sales increases as of this writing. And even as the automaker's portfolio goes more mainstream, smoothing out its serially awkward styling and gunning for a larger market share here in the United States, that intrinsic Subaru differentiation is still baked in to each and every product.
It's that new Outback we're here to talk about today, a vehicle that's been comprehensively redesigned for the 2015 model year while not shaking up the formula that's made it successful since its inception in the mid-1990s, back when it (arguably) launched what we now know as the crossover utility vehicle segment. It's still plenty different - and plenty good, too.