Next WRX two years off

SUBARU will soldier on with its aging WRX for a while yet, with news that the fourth-generation version of the iconic performance car is still as much as two years away.

Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior told GoAuto last week that the next WRX was still “a couple of years away”, suggesting the local arrival of an all-new version will likely come in late 2014 or early 2015.

As we have reported previously, the next WRX will not be as closely related to the Impreza small car on which it is based as it has been in previous iterations.

Asked about the likelihood of the next WRX continuing to come off the Impreza platform, Mr Senior said that Subaru’s parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, “are still having that discussion.”

Mr Senior would not be drawn on what platform the WRX would be built on, but does not think it will come from the larger Liberty/Outback platform.

“We’ve got the bases covered with bigger cars with the Liberty GT,” he said.

“WRX and STI is a nice size for that performance car. But, as I say, it’s still a work in progress.”

From top: Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior 2012 Subaru Impreza sedan Subaru BRZ.

While there has been some speculation about how different the next WRX will be from the Impreza, Mr Senior said nine months ago that his preferred outcome would be to continue with the strategy of WRX/STI that has made the car a success since it was first launched in 1994.

“I do love that we have the four and five-door variants and I would like that to continue,” he said.

The current WRX is counted in VFACTS sales data within the Impreza figures, but Mr Senior has previously said the WRX averages approximately 170 units per month.

Subaru introduced a limited-edition Club Spec version of the WRX in August to keep the much-loved sports sedan fresh.

Just 300 examples of the Club Spec will be sold in Australia and it is available in black or bright tangerine orange paint.

While the wait for the next WRX may prove frustrating for enthusiasts, Subaru is still celebrating the success of the BRZ sportscar that became an instant sell-out on its release in July.

Asked whether the success of Subaru’s alliance with Toyota in producing the BRZ/86 twins could mean future collaborations between the two Japanese giants, Mr Senior said that it was “really a question for FHI.”“There’s nothing that I’m aware of, but I am sure there are probably discussions going on,” he said.

Mr Senior said the alliance has been a win-win situation for both companies, especially considering that similar alliances undertaken by other car-makers in the past have failed.

“BRZ/86 is a car we could never have developed on our own and it’s probably a concept that Toyota could never have done without spending considerable money on developing boxer engines.

“The boxer engine is critical to that car’s success.”