The Subaru Impreza Concept - the shape of things to come?
So you thought you knew the Subaru Impreza? Think again.
Up til now, Subaru has not been a maker known for coming up with especially ground-breaking styling. But that never mattered much with its group of loyal buyers.
The joint project with Saab that brought Subaru the Tribeca might have been distinctive, but it was anything but inspiring either. But new Subarus will be different – at least if the Impreza Concept that is making its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show is any indication.
Backed by the Japanese maker’s new global brand statement, ‘Confidence in-motion,’ the sporty and elegant design marks the direction that Fuji Heavy Industry says it will take, going forward, with upcoming Subaru models.
The concept also shows that aerodynamics will play a larger role in the design of the cherished Subaru brand, which has lately been scoring on top of customer satisfaction surveys in the US and Europe for many years now.
Subaru has often tried to cultivate two distinctive images, the one, green and folksy message supported by models like the Forester, the other a bit of a boy racer built upon the foundation of the WRX STi.
The new Impreza Concept aims to blend both, though it definitely up the aggression factor, with its bold grille – the standard Subaru logo flanked by twin wings – and positively massive twin air intakes anchoring the front corners.
Senior design officials suggest, “This is what the future of AWD is going to look like.”
Dynamic interior lighting and four futuristic seats mark the interior of the concept car, which introduces the EyeSight camera system, which monitors traffic and projects images in the instrument panel, uniting various onboard accident prevention systems.
The concept has the latest generation of Subaru’s boxer engine, a 2.0-liter four that should accompany the new 2.5-liter appearing in this year’s Forester update.
Subaru, which posted yet another all-time sales record, this year – and only needed to reach the end of October to do so – is hoping to maintain momentum in the years ahead, so don’t be surprised to see the strong influence of the Impreza Concept working into the maker’s production line-up in the very near future.