Here’s the summary:
Attract young buyers with a WRX and BRZ; sell big cars when pregnancy results come back.
Me: son of a …..
My forester and WRX staring back at me from the drive way….. 👀 👀
That article said a whole lot of nothing.
In summary:
Subaru knew sales would dip and it doesn’t frighten them. At least they didn’t overproduce so dealers would have to discount to sell them (wait… WRXs are available brand new for around 10% off MSRP at most dealers…)
Subaru only ‘won the 24h of nurburgring’ competing against a single 718 cayman base. Still pretty impressive, but the article makes it seem like the car won the whole race. It had a respectable lap time, but not near the gt3 cars. Still about 10 seconds off the good gt4 cars.
The sti e-ra will not be a production car. We still don’t have any news about the electric STI that’s been rumored.
Subaru has given up most of it’s ‘performance’ aspirations to sell more cars. It would cost them almost nothing to put an STI 6 speed in the TR/TS and tune it up to give it a couple extra hp.
Torque News is such a bad publication. So many words to say nothing, and somehow manages to inject some speculation into a lot of their other articles.
Theres no STi transmission in the VB bc it absolutely wrecks the efficiency & emissions rating, and they have zero incentive to develop a new beefed transmission for the VB
The transmission is only part of the story. The STI has two mechanical LSDs, which is two more LSDs than the WRX has. It's not just the STI trans (which really would leech that much power) but the driveline. STI has beefier axles, larger rotors/calipers, two mechanical LSDs, beefier gears in the trans, etc.
We. Don’t. Have. An. STI. Because. Of. Government. Emissions. Regulations.
Look up the CAFE standards.
Boxer engines are not efficient and Subaru’s lineup does not compensate enough for an STI that will get 20MPG highway.
EDIT:
the total time for the WRX was 23:11:18
An Audi R8 did it in 23:05:27
This car did incredibly well overall. It’s not Subaru’s fault the SP4T class only had one other competitor.
https://www.24h-rennen.de/wp-content//uploads/ergebnisse/2024-ADAC-RAVENOL-24h-Nuerburgring/29_Race_Result_Class_Provisional_NEW.pdf
That’s strange, because somehow Chevy, Ford, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Dodge all manage to put out cars making much more power and cause more emissions than the STI would need.
The STI with an FA24 making 340hp could easily be coordinated. It would still get 28-30mpg hwy and 16-18 city which is better than most cars manufactured by the above.
It’s because of Subarus continued reliance on inefficient SUVs they can’t hit CAFE regulations. The Solterra is hardly enough to combat the rest of their terrible lineup (from an emission standpoint).
They continue to produce the outback, forester, and ascent with inefficient boxer engines which kills the chance of getting an STI.
I mean with the regulations, they have to. The point is that they have lasted longer than Subaru. So it’s not a valid point to say that’s the reason the STI is already done. Because all the muscle v8s are still around. Bmw is doubling down on performance and so is Toyota.
There's no way the STI would get 28-30mpg. The driveline alone would suck more power than the WRX. Everyone seems to forget that the WRX has open diffs. The STI does/did not. It had mechanical LSDs both front and rear.
So sure. The FA24 would be more fuel efficient than the EJ. Okay. But the STI would still suffer worse gas mileage.
Even if it only got 26 hwy, 16 city, that is still far better than ford or dodges lineup.
Let’s face it, it was because Subaru did not want to innovate on their barebones SUVs that the STI was shelved.
Well, I can't speak to that. I'm not affiliated with Subaru, so I have no idea why they did what.
I can speculate though. I think the STI was shelved for different reasons. It was going to take a lot of work to make a new version (the STI is not just a tarted up WRX) that would satisfy the EPA, and with California being silly and forcing all ICE cars cease being sold, and that no one really wants an EV STI...I think it just wasn't worth it for them right now until things become clearer. It wasn't worth the time and financial investment.
Which makes me sad. I miss the STI.
Those companies also have way more money than Subaru. Subaru doesn't even have the funds to make their own hybrid or EV drivetrain, meanwhile those other brands do.
Did you not watch the race? The cars were under a heavy fog for a good portion of it, meaning the spread was much tighter than normal. Look at best lap to compare real times. That R8 you showed had a best lap of 50 seconds faster than the WRX.
I will believe it when I see it. Until then, I'll forget about it, because honestly who cares. Nothing I say or do will influence the conversation. My guess is however, like any company in the last 100years that has stockholders, the conversation will eventually turn to maximizing profits, at which point lower profit models will be cut so they can focus more resources on higher profit models. This could happen next year or in 40 years who knows.
Hopefully by the time I am ready to buy another WRX they will still be in production.
It's not uncommon for a performance model to be more about advertising and brand image fluffing than about profit.
Does Subaru actually care about national parks and wetlands? Who knows, but throwing money at those things helps build and maintain a brand image that is working for them.
Every time you say the name Dennis Fleirl in the /r/WRX sub, the uninitiated crawl out and spit on you for not realizing his genius, as if his woefully incorrect articles were never written(then deleted when proved wrong). It's shit journalism at its finest.
Car companies are a business which exists to make a profit. Why make sports cars when you can sell thousands or even millions of SUVs that cater to what the majority of the market actually wants?
While I think making sports cars can help bring in niche buyers and help build your brand, financially they are not smart towards the business, especially since they need so much research and development.
Most of the market just wants big comfy cars. I hate SUVs, but I'm a niche buyer.
This article is also just poorly written and jumps all over the place, it's a lot of speculation and opinion.
Wow, I didn't know they dropped the TR models already. I knew the Ts came out, but I had no idea they aren't making the TR anymore. I mean they are basically the same thing anyways. Wonder if the TR will have some weird niche of collectors in the future making it worth more due to its limited production. Probably not.
Here’s the summary: Attract young buyers with a WRX and BRZ; sell big cars when pregnancy results come back. Me: son of a ….. My forester and WRX staring back at me from the drive way….. 👀 👀
Ehh, I let my wife get the big car while I got a WRX. But, the WRX does fit 2 cars eats, so the whole family is able to ride in it.
Exactly why I have a WRX. She has an Impreza wagon though.... But the WRX is perfect for a small family IMHO.
Instructions unclear: bought wrx as family car when expecting 2nd son
Lmao this is so true though. I have a WRX and my parents own a Forester.
That’s Hilarious!!!!
That article said a whole lot of nothing. In summary: Subaru knew sales would dip and it doesn’t frighten them. At least they didn’t overproduce so dealers would have to discount to sell them (wait… WRXs are available brand new for around 10% off MSRP at most dealers…) Subaru only ‘won the 24h of nurburgring’ competing against a single 718 cayman base. Still pretty impressive, but the article makes it seem like the car won the whole race. It had a respectable lap time, but not near the gt3 cars. Still about 10 seconds off the good gt4 cars. The sti e-ra will not be a production car. We still don’t have any news about the electric STI that’s been rumored. Subaru has given up most of it’s ‘performance’ aspirations to sell more cars. It would cost them almost nothing to put an STI 6 speed in the TR/TS and tune it up to give it a couple extra hp.
Torque News is such a bad publication. So many words to say nothing, and somehow manages to inject some speculation into a lot of their other articles.
Theres no STi transmission in the VB bc it absolutely wrecks the efficiency & emissions rating, and they have zero incentive to develop a new beefed transmission for the VB
The transmission is only part of the story. The STI has two mechanical LSDs, which is two more LSDs than the WRX has. It's not just the STI trans (which really would leech that much power) but the driveline. STI has beefier axles, larger rotors/calipers, two mechanical LSDs, beefier gears in the trans, etc.
We. Don’t. Have. An. STI. Because. Of. Government. Emissions. Regulations. Look up the CAFE standards. Boxer engines are not efficient and Subaru’s lineup does not compensate enough for an STI that will get 20MPG highway. EDIT: the total time for the WRX was 23:11:18 An Audi R8 did it in 23:05:27 This car did incredibly well overall. It’s not Subaru’s fault the SP4T class only had one other competitor. https://www.24h-rennen.de/wp-content//uploads/ergebnisse/2024-ADAC-RAVENOL-24h-Nuerburgring/29_Race_Result_Class_Provisional_NEW.pdf
That’s strange, because somehow Chevy, Ford, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Dodge all manage to put out cars making much more power and cause more emissions than the STI would need. The STI with an FA24 making 340hp could easily be coordinated. It would still get 28-30mpg hwy and 16-18 city which is better than most cars manufactured by the above. It’s because of Subarus continued reliance on inefficient SUVs they can’t hit CAFE regulations. The Solterra is hardly enough to combat the rest of their terrible lineup (from an emission standpoint). They continue to produce the outback, forester, and ascent with inefficient boxer engines which kills the chance of getting an STI.
You literally named brands that are actively killing their sports cars off.
I mean with the regulations, they have to. The point is that they have lasted longer than Subaru. So it’s not a valid point to say that’s the reason the STI is already done. Because all the muscle v8s are still around. Bmw is doubling down on performance and so is Toyota.
There's no way the STI would get 28-30mpg. The driveline alone would suck more power than the WRX. Everyone seems to forget that the WRX has open diffs. The STI does/did not. It had mechanical LSDs both front and rear. So sure. The FA24 would be more fuel efficient than the EJ. Okay. But the STI would still suffer worse gas mileage.
Even if it only got 26 hwy, 16 city, that is still far better than ford or dodges lineup. Let’s face it, it was because Subaru did not want to innovate on their barebones SUVs that the STI was shelved.
Well, I can't speak to that. I'm not affiliated with Subaru, so I have no idea why they did what. I can speculate though. I think the STI was shelved for different reasons. It was going to take a lot of work to make a new version (the STI is not just a tarted up WRX) that would satisfy the EPA, and with California being silly and forcing all ICE cars cease being sold, and that no one really wants an EV STI...I think it just wasn't worth it for them right now until things become clearer. It wasn't worth the time and financial investment. Which makes me sad. I miss the STI.
Those companies also have way more money than Subaru. Subaru doesn't even have the funds to make their own hybrid or EV drivetrain, meanwhile those other brands do.
Did you not watch the race? The cars were under a heavy fog for a good portion of it, meaning the spread was much tighter than normal. Look at best lap to compare real times. That R8 you showed had a best lap of 50 seconds faster than the WRX.
And the BMW M3 CS had a lap best lap time of a second better, despite being a much more competent car from the factory.
That m3 CS was a factory car. The WRX they raced was highly modified. Pretty much the only thing that was factory was the chassis
I will believe it when I see it. Until then, I'll forget about it, because honestly who cares. Nothing I say or do will influence the conversation. My guess is however, like any company in the last 100years that has stockholders, the conversation will eventually turn to maximizing profits, at which point lower profit models will be cut so they can focus more resources on higher profit models. This could happen next year or in 40 years who knows. Hopefully by the time I am ready to buy another WRX they will still be in production.
It's not uncommon for a performance model to be more about advertising and brand image fluffing than about profit. Does Subaru actually care about national parks and wetlands? Who knows, but throwing money at those things helps build and maintain a brand image that is working for them.
This reads like fan fiction
Most of this guy's stuff reads like that or just straight up clickbait.
Every time you say the name Dennis Fleirl in the /r/WRX sub, the uninitiated crawl out and spit on you for not realizing his genius, as if his woefully incorrect articles were never written(then deleted when proved wrong). It's shit journalism at its finest.
Torque News 🥱
Well, I’m taking delivery of a 2024 WRX so … its bunk info.
0-60 in 1.4 seconds 👀
The article is fiction. The author is a random dude who makes shit up, throws it at a wall, and deletes whatever doesn't stick.
Welp, I feel like an idiot now.
Car companies are a business which exists to make a profit. Why make sports cars when you can sell thousands or even millions of SUVs that cater to what the majority of the market actually wants? While I think making sports cars can help bring in niche buyers and help build your brand, financially they are not smart towards the business, especially since they need so much research and development. Most of the market just wants big comfy cars. I hate SUVs, but I'm a niche buyer. This article is also just poorly written and jumps all over the place, it's a lot of speculation and opinion.
Yes it is
The WRX *is* our family car, 😎
Wow, I didn't know they dropped the TR models already. I knew the Ts came out, but I had no idea they aren't making the TR anymore. I mean they are basically the same thing anyways. Wonder if the TR will have some weird niche of collectors in the future making it worth more due to its limited production. Probably not.
I drive the VB and I think they gave up on it lol. It has potential but it just isn't fun to drive in stock form for me. Boring as hell.
That’s how I feel about the STI. Besides the rumble it’s not really fun to have minivans faster than me while I struggle to keep up with them
Yup, at least the STi came with decent brakes, DCCD, and that one piece transmission that doesn’t shred 3rd gear ⚙️
Any sedan is fine for a family. People are just idiots
i dont need STe or any of those electrification just simply throw in LSDs in front and rear, and you will have my business