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Next-gen Subaru WRX STI spotted at the N"urburgring

Subaru has been busy testing the next-generation WRX STI. Well, it may be the STI. The big wing out back lends some credence to that theory, but it could be that the basic WRX is getting new action in the back section. Time will tell.
In either case, spy photographers nabbed a few shots of the heavily camouflaged sedan running around the Nürburgring. Unfortunately, it looks as if Subaru has taken some of the sexy out of the WRX Concept we saw at the New York Auto Show, leaving this car looking more derivative of the current model than a revolution in design. The bold power bulge has disappeared from the vehicle's hood and the lower fascia looks far more demure than the the wild concept. Likewise, the muscular rear fenders have been toned down substantially.
The result is a car that looks more like a mildly warmed over version of the current model than a production version of the WRX Concept. Still, engineers and designers may have a long way to go before the finished product hits the market, so we'll reserve final judgement for now. After all, the early BRZ mules were nothing short of a travesty to look at, and we know how that turned out. Hope springs eternal.

Subaru parent company celebrates 60th birthday

Fuji Heavy Industries, parent company of Subaru, celebrated its 60th anniversary on June 15. And while the company is largely known in the automotive world for its innovative all-wheel-drive cars, its history stretches far back before the days of symmetrical all-wheel drive, World Rally Blue and gold wheels.
FHI was founded, much like Germany's BMW, as an aircraft company. It went through a series of names before settling on its current title in 1953. And while its aerial successes were never quite as famous as Mitsubishi and its Zero, FHI did fly Japan's first jet-powered trainer. The same year, 1958 to be exact, it unveiled the iconic Subaru 360 minicar. While the 360 never quite caught on in the US (at least not with the fervor of the similarly laid-out Volkswagen Beetle), the small, affordable and simple Subie had a wide-ranging appeal across the island of Japan.
The rear-drive, rear-engined 360 was eventually joined by the 1000, Subaru's first front-engine, front-wheel-drive car. More importantly, the 1000 ushered in Subaru's use of a horizontally opposed engine. The Subaru Leone, which arrived in 1971, expanded on the 1000, by offering a combination we're all familiar with nowadays - all-wheel drive with a flat-four engine.

Toyota GT86 turbo, convertible, sedan variants back on the table

Okay Toyota, make up your mind. Figure it out. Quit playing games with our heart. Either build a bunch of variations of the excellent GT86 (also known as the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ) or don't. At this point, we're just tired of the back and forth. After no shortage of denials, an Australian website is claiming that Toyota is reconsidering convertible, four-door, turbocharged and all-wheel-drive hybrid variants of the GT86. Kindly pass all the salt.
It's not that we don't want to believe the Aussies; we do. But when the story lists the same "sources in Japan" as a lot of the other denials and confirmations about GT86/BRZ/FR-S variants, well, there's a certain sense of the "Boy That Cried Wolf," here. Ignoring all that, then, what does Motoring.com.au claim to know?
Sources claim the GT86 Convertible will arrive in October 2014, while the turbocharged and hybrid sedans are slated for 2016.