The WRX platform is not suitable for the high-performance rally car.
It’s time to show your support for the rally racer that is arguably the most famous. You should stop waiting patiently for the next-generation Subaru WrX STI, it’s not coming soon. It will not come soon.
Subaru made a surprise announcement that the STI will not be returning with the new WRX. The automaker remains vague about the future of the STI. It stated that the “Subaru Corporation” is looking at electrification options for the next-generation Subaru WRX STI.
According to the statement, a next-generation STI equipped with an internal combustion engine will not be made on the basis of the new WRX platform. Bummer.
We’ve been reporting on rumors about the next-generation STI for some while now and this surprise is definitely real. had heard that a 345-horsepower (257 kilowatts) STI was being considered. But forgot about the rumors. Subaru walked into the Tokyo Auto Salon in January 2022 with an S4 STI performance concept, complete with wings, red trim and STI badges. It was an indication of what would be coming later in the year. Perhaps it was.
Subaru’s STI statement has only three paragraphs, but it begins with a very important passage about electrification as well as meeting the changing needs of the market. It feels more like an over-the-top statement than a long-term product strategy, given the STI rumors from a few months back. Subaru did not respond to our request for more information.
Regardless of its intentions, the reality is the WRX STI is dead. The original version was released in 1994 and produced 247 horsepower. It catapulted the humble Impreza into superstar status in the World Rally Championship. The hopped-up Impreza WRX was not available in the US until 2002. The STI arrived in 2004. Subaru split the Impreza from the WRX in 2014. But, if we had known that our 2019 STI 209 stint would be our final internal-combustion dance, maybe we would have savored it a little more.
Is the WRX STI going to be resurrected with electrification as part of a next-generation package for WRX STI? Subaru isn’t confirming this, but leaves the door open.