New Subaru WRX and STI Won’t Come Until 2020
We’ll have to wait three years for the new platform’s benefits to trickle up to the sporty models.
The latest version of the Subaru Impreza has been a hit. Subaru's new global platform has brought many improvements to the model, and the interior, traditionally a weak point on Subarus, was voted one of Wards Ten Best. But we'll have to wait a bit longer for these enhancements to come to the more sporty WRX and STI models. Subaru Australia Managing Director Colin Christie told Motoring that it would be another two and a half to three years before we see a new version of the WRX.
This may be disappointing for potential customers who would like to see the Impreza's enhancements carry over to the WRX sooner rather than later. But the current generation of the WRX has only been out since the 2015 model year. The performance-oriented WRX and STI are also becoming more of a niche product these days. According to GoodCarBadCar.net, their US sales have held steady at roughly 3,000 per month since the current generation came out. Since this past March, Impreza sales have increased to over 10,000 per month for the first time and continue to grow. It's not that the WRX isn't selling, but that the Impreza is selling more than ever.
That's not to say that Subaru has been neglecting the WRX. On the contrary, Subaru recently released the limited edition WRX STI Type RA, which, along with the BRZ tS, was shown at Boxerfest last week and will be at Wicked Big Meet this coming weekend.
Still, it can't be denied that the current WRX and STI have some disadvantages compared to the competition. The Volkswagen GTI and Ford Focus ST are more practical hatchbacks, while Subaru chose to drop the hatchback WRX for this generation. The STI is down 45 horsepower to the Focus RS, and though the new Impreza's interior is great, the WRX is somewhat lacking compared to what the competition offers. But these disadvantages don't seem to have hurt WRX sales, either. It will be interesting to see what Subaru has up its sleeve for the next WRX and STI when the time comes.
