2012 Subaru Impreza Wrx Sti Limited Sedan 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Subaru mulling three-row utility, upscale versions of existing models

Subaru was one of few automakers whose sales actually picked up during the recent recession. But now that auto sales are back on track (and expected to hit pre-recession numbers this year), Subaru is trying to come up with new products to fill voids in its current lineup. Wards Auto had a chance to talk to Subaru's director-product manager Ken Lin, who indicated that the automaker is planning to introduce new models this year that will help it attract new buyers without alienating current ones.
The biggest void, of course, is a competitive three-row crossover, a role the Tribeca does not fill in one a very popular segment. Lin said that while there's no current plan to kill off the Tribeca, Subaru is looking at creating a larger three-row CUV with more interior space. In addition to to something big, Subaru is getting ready to bring its customers more luxury with new touring models, but does not anticipate going toe-to-toe with Mercedes-Benz or BMW.
By the end of this year, Subaru will be introducing a new hybrid model, although we don't yet know on which model it will be based. What we do seem to know is that the car will get its power from a nickel metal hydride battery rather than a more modern lithium-ion pack for the sake of simplicity. Finally, Lin mentioned a new product being brought into the sports car segment, but while the article takes this as a hint toward a possible BRZ Turbo, it could also be a reference to the next generation of the WRX and WRX STI.

Subarus, straits, a shipwreck, and the end of the world

We've got one more short video glimpse at our Patagonia adventure before the big, final feature video goes live early next month. This time, it's a view of the end of our journey – and the end of the world. Crossing the Straits of Magellan took about two hours on our car ferry, and we saw penguins, orcas, and dolphins, which made the journey way more interesting. From there, we drove through Chile and crossed back into Argentina, stopped by the Desdemona – a 30-year-old shipwreck – and finally spent the night in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world (Antarctica only has bases, not cities). The next morning, our caravan ventured to Tierra del Fuego National Park, and we stood, as a group, at the end of the world – the farthest south any of us will probably venture for the rest of our lives. Have a look at our final, short video above. And again, stay tuned for the full experience film, which we'll bring you (along with hundreds of epic photos) early next month. Auto News Subaru Videos Original Video chile autoblog in patagonia

Subaru might build WRX hatchback after all

The 2015 Subaru WRX is awesome. Really awesome. We told you as much in our first drive of the new sedan back in December. Honestly, our only complaint about Fuji Heavy's new performance machine is that it's no longer offered as a hatchback - the new WRX is a sedan-only affair, despite the more functional five-door variant accounting for some 50 percent of sales in the car's last generation.
But there's hope on the horizon, if a report from Australia's Motoring.com is to be believed. Speaking with Masuo Takatsu, Subaru's general manager for the WRX, the company is now re-considering putting the "hatch" back in its hot hatch.
"We have received strong interest from the US, where the hatchback was 50 percent (of previous-generation WRX sales), so we're now considering," Takatsu told Motoring, noting that the United States is Subaru's main target for this car. Additionally, Takatsu said the company's decision to only offer the sedan was the result of limited engineering resources, echoing statements we've previously heard from Subaru's US arm.