Tokyo show: Subaru teases concept duo

SUBARU will provide the first look at the fifth-generation Impreza small car and showcase its self-driving technology at this month's Tokyo motor show.

Just two sketches have been released of the five-door Impreza Concept, revealing that the next-gen model will carry styling cues from its larger Liberty/Outback and Levorg siblings.

The Impreza looks set to gain a larger grille, sharper, more modern headlights and a sleeker body compared with the existing model.

All that Subaru will say about the concept at this stage is that it “takes its inspiration from the design of the next-generation Impreza”, which parent company Fuji Heavy Industries envisaged in its Prominence 2020 strategic plan, announced in May 2014.

The new styling theme will feature “more prominently” in next-generation Subaru models, according to the Japanese car-maker.

The fourth-generation Impreza launched in Australia in early 2012, about a year after its Japanese home-market debut, due to stock issues stemming from the 2011 Japanese tsunami.

Subaru will also show the third iteration of its Viziv Future Concept, an SUV-style concept that the car-maker says “gives a glimpse at the future Subaru has in mind for the brand”.

The first Viziv concept made its debut at the 2013 Geneva motor show, with the Viziv 2 uncovered at the same show a year later.

The Viziv Future Concept has a similar design theme to the Viziv 2, but it appears larger and taller and has a higher ride height, as well as restyled headlights and tail-lights.

It is unclear if this previews an all-new Subaru SUV, or if is just a design exercise.

The latest version is capable of autonomous driving, thanks to an evolution of Subaru's EyeSight driver assistance and passive safety technology suite.

EyeSight's front recognition system is combined with radar sensing in all directions to monitor traffic, while GPS and map data locate the vehicle.

The route ahead, including corners and multiple lanes, can be sensed and seen, and the various pedestrian, vehicle and bicycle collision avoidance systems are active when turning at intersections and reversing.

Subaru says advances in telematics and Human-Machine Interface tech have enabled the anticipation of weather, traffic and other conditions of the route, as well as vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

Powering the Viziv is Subaru's next-generation hybrid system, which is a heavily revised version of the system found in the Japanese-market XV Hybrid crossover. It is paired with an updated version of the downsized direct-injection turbocharged engine found in the Levorg sports wagon.

As part of the powertrain, the Viziv has an electric motor and all-wheel drive.

Also on the Subaru stand at Tokyo will be the facelifted version of the Japanese-market Forester and the WRX S4 SporVita – a luxurious version of the WRX.