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Time to read 10 min
It is amazing what subjects are raised when a group of Subaru enthusiasts sit around a table at the local bar or while shoveling street tacos into their faces as they fight off the dusty air in the parking lot at the end of a weekend event. There are debates regarding the best Subaru you ever saw, or melancholy tales about when you modified your first car, and even when you had to sell it to pay for your wedding. Subaru enthusiasts share their pride, their joy, and their bragging rights on a regular basis. That is what makes the community great and stand apart from those who follow and support any other automotive brand. The dedication comes out through their conversations and their connection. Knowing this fact, as well as we all do, it is completely understandable, when a conversation turns to "the year the WRX STi died" and the opinions, theories, accusations, thoughts of sadness, and barbs of frustration start to fly through the air. There may not be a subject more controversial and prone to disagreement than when Subaru announced they were discontinuing the WRX STi.
Well, at the time, you may be someone who stood in the corner of Subaru, rubbed their big, symbolic shoulders, and, like Burgess Meredith in the movie "Rocky", simply whispered in their ear, "It's alright kid. You've been knocked down before. Get back in the ring and keep punching. You'll land a good shot in this round. I know you will." In contrast, you may be in the other camp. The angry faction that felt deceived, denied, and disenfranchised. Those who stormed to the forums, social media, and the tables of discussion amongst their peers with dramatic comments that basically said, "Goodbye Subaru, you're dead to me!" I know this sounds outrageous to some, but that is how serious this subject has become and has forever tainted the holy water served from Subaru's golden chalice. Like we have mentioned, this is one of the most discussed subjects that prompts chatter, both positive and negative, from both sides of the aisle. Everyone has their thoughts about this, but as engaging as we are with our customers and the community at large, we haven't heard them all. The team here at Subimods couldn't resist taking an opportunity to figuratively "poke the bear", throw some very important Subaru history on the table, and share our opinions - since we enjoy being a part of this big, crazy family of Subie greatness.
As the majority of Subaru enthusiasts now know, the Japanese manufacturer made a very impactful announcement on March 11th in 2022. Their static-infected bullhorn didn't clearly proclaim "why" they were discontinuing WRX STi's production, but they bluntly chirped that the WRX STi’s next generation internal combustion car engine would not be produced using the newly introduced WRX platform. Ouch. Yes, the invisible band-aid had been ripped off. To the dismay of the faithful, who were almost certain that they wouldn't be led down this path, it was now confirmed that Subaru had discontinued the WRX STi. Of course, big question marks began dropping from the sky and slapping Subie fans in the face due to the whirlwind. The global Subaru community is much like separate coastlines on the same small island. One side survives the damage of a hurricane and gives fair warning to the other. The other feels immune, assumes the storm is past and over, until the first wave crashes and panic strikes. When this announcement hit, it was not a hurricane to our friends in Europe but was the result of a heavy storm they had weathered five years earlier when Subaru decided to discontinue the WRX STi in the U.K. back in 2017.
It is accurate to say - at the very least, the enthusiast village in the U.K. broke out their torches as sadness turned to anger and began to cultivate worry in all other parts of the civilized world. I recently read a post from those days published on a popular enthusiast forum that didn't hold back any rage when a contributor then named "Flux" stated, "F’cking Subaru. First they don’t bring the hatchback WRX back. Then, they make bullsh** BRZ STi with no power increase (not even 30 horsepower, for the love of God). NOW THEY AXE THE WRX STi. Seriously? Who is calling the shots at Subaru, anyway?!" Another post on the same site from an "Anonymous" contributor, chose a different angle flavored with a somber, predictive mood - affirming that this would have been the outcome sooner or later by saying "It doesn’t surprise me that the sales have slumped so much. When the current generation of STi’s came out in 2015 the engine was already pretty old and inefficient compared to its rivals...Instead of killing it off, Subaru should just replace it with something that is actually competitive in its segment." Both telling opinions that read well today and that continue to leave the barn door open for questions beginning with "WHY".
After the initial storm calmed within the European community and acceptance that the WRX STi would now be added to the list of most missed and coveted Subaru platforms released by the Japanese car maker, the ears and eyes of wonder opened wide on this side of the pond. The North American enthusiast realm began to respond, much like the aforementioned opposite island shore, with a sense of careful sensitivity, but heavily painted with doubt and resistance that their precious platform would never be pushed to the sidelines or be removed from the game. How could they? It's just too good to ride the bench or be retired forever. In a semi-paranoid and somewhat fearful follow up to Subaru's U.K. dismissal back in 2017, an article published by "The Drive" stated with full confidence that, "It would be quite silly for Subaru to discontinue the WRX in the U.S. at this point." The article said that according to industry statistics at that time, "the current version of the WRX, which debuted as a 2015 model, is the best-selling WRX on record since data started being collected in 2011." They continued to say that "Monthly WRX sales have consistently stayed between 2,100 and 3,100 per month since the current model came out and show no sign of slowing down. In contrast, Subaru sold just 301 BRZs in September 2017, yet that model is not about to be chopped from the lineup either." Obviously, back in 2017, the automotive marketplace was far different and less advanced than it would be a short five years into the future.
Think about the global impacts outside the auto industry - Covid-19 just being one aspect of the equation - that changed our way of life, the way we work, and overall, how global industry functioned and competed for attention. So, as we are sadly aware, in 2017, Subaru proclaimed that this shocking discontinuation was only valid within the European market, but alluded that Japan and the United States consumer would still be able to wrap their fists around the wheel of one of these cars moving forward. As the Subaru enthusiast community in the U.S. took a deep yoga-inspired breath and kicked back with dreams of fun-filled motoring dancing in their heads, they were unaware that their hopes would be flattened within a short few flips of the calendar. As 2020 marched in with global pandemic and a lot of human turmoil, Subaru stepped up to announce that plans to phase out the WRX STi and the EJ257 engine were imminent. As the middle of March 2022 approached, Subaru dropped the second hammer on top of the cherished platform with confirmations through multiple media outlets including Motor Trend and others, that "a next-generation WRX STi would not be produced based on the new WRX platform." In the eyes of the WRX STi lover, the other shoe, whether anyone at the time would have expected, had dropped.
Obviously, when three major decisions based on one impactful performance platform are shot from the canon of a auto manufacturing battleship like Subaru, there will be both concern, confusion, decent, and some expected disappointment among the faithful who have characteristically and historically followed the brand and its methodology. Around the consumer table, a lot of questions must have flown: Were Subaru's decisions truly based only on lack of demand? Were they pivoting due to the cost of production? Was their eye on the future of technology in car making? Were the scales that balance between the SUV market and the performance buyer beginning to tip too far towards the family and outdoor loving consumers? Did their final announcement stem from the ever-changing demands in the environmental landscape woven together with regulations and government-fueled policy that forced them to end a three decade tuning streak? If we look at all these factors while examining the entire marketplace and the timeline of other brand offerings over the past two years, it would be smart to say, without doubt, that Subaru made the right decision based on their business model, their customer base, and the accelerating market - or did they not?
First of all, looking at the vehicle through performance-craving, rose colored glasses, any seasoned, true Subaru enthusiast will say without hesitation that the WRX STI is a vehicle that holds a very high degree in true spirit and genuine character among all the platforms within the Subaru stable. Many enthusiasts, including our crew at Subimods, agree that the flaws and shortcomings of this platform makes it deliver an enjoyable driving experience for the driver fortunate to be its owner. Truly, the more powerful, more technologically based, more plush, slick, and comfortable models offered by European manufacturers can often fall short of true joy when heavily promoting the often overstated “ultimate driving experience”. Beyond blaming some sort of unsatisfactory driving encounter as the cause of the platform’s dismissal, the disappointed fray pointed at all the mistakes Subaru had made over the decades confirming that this would be the fatal misstep during their fall since the WRX STI was the pinnacle of the brand's performance collection. The deflated tribe complained about everything including that Subaru's fall began when they killed their hatchback models, eliminated their two-door WRX and STI models, and followed their rabid concentration on the money grab built from their SUV sales while watering down performance and eliminating the real fun of driving at the factory. The decision told many others that Subaru knew this platform was not competitive, so the investment to continue production was ridiculous.
Was this an intelligent decision made because of a combination of these factors and a careful look into the future? When Subaru made this announcement, their team outlined that "Regulations and requirements for greenhouse gasses (GHG), zero emissions vehicles (ZEV), and Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ)" are the impetus for holding off on a developing a new STi right away.", the statement declared. Subaru continued to confirm their focus on the ever accelerating future by adding, "It appears an internal-combustion-powered STi would struggle to pass increasingly stringent regulations for sale, without first going hybrid or fully-electric.", they said. "A next generation internal combustion engine WRX STi will not be produced based upon the new WRX platform," they confirmed, as we previously noted. During a Road and Track interview, Dominick Infante, Subaru's Director of Corporate Communications confirmed that regulations regarding both emissions and electrification were the true cause for the life of the WRX STi to end. Questioned about why the production of the platform would stop, Infante explained, "The regulations are changing so quickly...that it kind of wouldn't make any sense."
Dropping a nugget to prime current and future enthusiasts while wetting the appetite of those technology adopters, Subaru teased that an electric or hybrid STi could be launched by the company in the future. With all things considered, it is no mystery that a majority of the Subaru community who were and continue to be focused on modifications, motor sport, and gas-powered performance have been disappointed and disenchanted since the brake-stopping production death of the WRX STi ideal. At times Subie dreams are still inflated by Subaru's taunts of including key STi features into some of the brand's future models, but conversations are still divided regarding the future of the company if legitimate performance innovations are whittled away over time to make way for regulation alignment, the spirit of smarter daily driving, and the call of the wild in the great outdoors. Will the Subaru world change with the directional pivot and innovative focus of manufacturing concentrating on practicality over performance?
Subimods continues to concentrate on providing aftermarket innovations and products that take the Subaru platform of your choice to new levels in the present and the future, no matter if you choose a more exciting, dynamic daily drive, a more exhilarating weekend on the track, or a more aggressive adventure overland and in the wild. We would be very interested in your thoughts regarding this subject and would encourage your feedback and comments regarding Subaru's pivotable decision to discontinue the WRX STi.
Write your comments below and continue this conversation. We are always thrilled to hear your opinions. THANK YOU!
Bryon Turcotte - Marketing Writer/Analyst
Turcotte has worked as a writer, journalist, and digital content developer for 30 years. He began his career in music journalism in 1995 then worked for several years as both a staff writer, managing editor, and a freelancer for both regional and national music publications. Over the next three decades his contributions extended beyond the music industry as he served within the realms of higher education, science and technology, manufacturing, and finance. He has been serving as a content developer and writer on the Subimods Marketing team since August 2023.
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