Subaru redesigned the WRX a few years ago, but enthusiasts immediately noticed something was missing. The brand’s vaunted STI configuration didn’t appear alongside other versions of the car, and we now have a good idea of why.
Subaru executives told Autocar that the automaker’s challenges with the STI stem from emissions restrictions in Europe. David Dello Stritto, Subaru’s European head, said, “Ask the average person what Subaru means and they’ll say STI. You can’t disassociate this from Subaru. So, we need to bring sportiness back to Subaru. Right now, we couldn’t do it: Europe says you can’t, because you have a gasoline particulate filter that can literally choke your engine.”
The automaker could create a U.S.-only STI, but that would be prohibitively expensive for a smaller company like Subaru. The alternative is electrification, which will allow the brand to release the vehicle worldwide. Stritto said, “There are plans to bring back the sportiness in Subaru. We’re working on more sporty models, and electrification allows us to do this.”
That means that any new STI model will likely lack the signature thrum of the flat-four engine. That said, Subaru has an opportunity to create a performance monster that offers speed and power without the loads of reliability issues that come from pushing a Subaru engine to its limits.
[Images: Subaru]
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