New Subaru STI concepts revealed at Tokyo show

Tokyo debuts for new EV and ICE Scoobs - 'exhilarating driving experiences' promised...

By Matt Bird / Wednesday, 29 October 2025 / Loading comments

‘Driving the Subaru difference’ is the message Subaru wants us to hear at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show. They aren’t going to stop doing things their own way, basically, which is refreshing in such unoriginal times. One side of the Subaru difference is going to be a focus on what it calls ‘the Adventure Scene’ - so Outbacks, Foresters and the like will continue for a while yet - while the other will be the Performance Scene. And that’s even more interesting.

Previewed a couple of weeks back, Tokyo will see the debut of both a petrol-engined and battery-powered STI concept. Encouragingly, too, both the Performance-E and Performance-B, rather unlike the E-RA seen a few years back, don’t look very far removed from reality. Perhaps they boast ride heights and arch gaps that wouldn’t work in the real world, but that’s to be expected. The fundamentals, on the other hand, look entirely viable.

The Performance-E looks like Subaru’s take on a car like the Kia EV6 GT, a large and family focused fastback with a distinctly sporty tilt.The usual STI features abound, complete with pink accents, gold for the aero optimised wheels and an unnecessarily large rear wing, it could well be the five-door Subaru for those who’ve grown out of Imprezas. Or can’t afford to run them anymore. Subaru reckons the Performance-E ‘evokes the brand’s heritage while providing a driver-friendly layout and a comfortable, spacious interior.’ Which is hardly going to get pulses racing, but it also suggests that ‘various innovative technologies’ will bring the fun; as mentioned before, Subaru’s four-wheel drive heritage neatly lends itself to some electrified tricks in a new era. We’re hoping this will be Subaru’s Ioniq 5N moment - time will tell…

As for the Performance-B, it looks incredibly normal both compared to the E and against most other concepts. No bad thing, arguably, when there’s so much weird and wacky stuff out there. Its roots appear to be in the standard Impreza hatch that’s still available in certain markets, this hinting at perhaps an RS3 rival or similar. The makeover is as expected, with fantastically fat arches, a bonnet scoop and a wing from a World Rallycross car, this very much the STI for those who resolutely have not moved on from silly Subarus. You can almost hear the burble from here.

Nothing is actually confirmed about the B beyond a boxer engine and symmetrical four-wheel drive, but then that could well be enough for the die-hards. As and when it makes production (it seems more of a goer than the E, but let’s see), Subaru says that a Performance-B will allow ‘more customers to experience the joy of driving.’

A potentially interesting future in prospect for Subaru, then, and something like the Performance-E could really give its so-far-underwhelming EV offering a boost in the UK. But we all know how it goes with the best Subarus - they never, ever come here. Until they’re imported, of course, and there’s a rich tradition of that on these shores. See cars like this glorious Type R two-door, this V4 estate, plus various S204s, R205s and S206s for proof of that. If whatever’s coming next can conjure up anything like the old excitement, then the Subaru difference will thrive. Fingers crossed, eh?