Subaru to Finally Present its RWD Coupe Concept at Geneva Motor Show

It's been a long time in the making but we're finally going to get our first glimpse of Subaru's version of the Toyota FT-86 RWD Coupe, which is a joint project from the two companies, at the upcoming Geneva Salon in March. The somewhat blandly named “Subaru Rear Wheel Drive Sports Car Technology Concept” will share the spotlight with the Impreza Concept (pictured above) and the Trezio mini MPV, both of which will receive their European premiere at the Swiss motorshow.

Despite rumors suggesting that Subaru may present an all-wheel drive version of the coupe project, the Japanese carmaker is keeping the rear-wheel drive setup, at least for now.

Not surprisingly, the Subaru coupe will be powered by a boxer engine, possibly the same four-cylinder unit lent to Toyota for the FT-86. Subaru did not release any photos nor any additional information on the Coupe concept model.

As for the company's two European premieres, the Impreza Concept was first shown in LA last November and previews a new design direction for the production model, while the Trezio is a re-badged version of the Toyota Verso-S mini MPV, which will be offered in Europe with a 1.3-liter gasoline and 1.4-liter turbo diesel engines.

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Video Presentation of Subaru's tasty Impreza Design Concept

One of the head-turners at this year's edition of the Los Angeles Auto Show is Subaru's new Impreza Design Concept. As the name suggests, the purpose of the study is to tease the next generation of the Impreza.

Even though there's a familiar resemblance with the latest Subaru Legacy, the concept features more aggressive and taut lines and a lower, almost coupe-like roofline. As Phil pointed out in our previous post, let's just hope that the next Impreza will keep if not all, most of the key styling elements seen on this concept model. For now, hit the break to watch a pair of promotional videos as well as a clip from the LA Show presentation of the Impreza Design Concept.

Source: Subaru / Youtube-DriveinHD

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2010 LA Auto Show: Subaru Teases Next Impreza with Concept Study

After bringing you a preview sketch earlier today, we now have some live images of the Subaru Impreza Design Concept from the LA Show floor. Taking Subaru's compact design in a new direction, the language of "Confidence In Motion" doesn't disappoint. In fact, this may preview the first good-looking Subaru in a long time. Hopefully it won't jump from concept to reality with as many "real-world" changes as the chubby/fugly Legacy.

As we already told you, the Impreza concept is powered by a 2.0-liter boxer engine and uses a Lineartronic transmission to drive the wheels through a Symmetrical All Wheel Drive system.

Outside, the face is all "new Subaru", while the the rear is home to some seriously fresh lines (like those rising from the diffuser) that continue the geometric theme from up front. The four-door compact coupe also gets cameras mounted on the A-pillar instead of mirrors, but for now those are still being relegated to the world of concepts.

As for the interior, have a look for yourself in the renderings: the seat design looks great, the dash and gauge pod look production-ready design-wise (minus the high-tech fully touch panel display), and the steering wheel's redundant controls are complemented with a touchscreen similar to an iPhone's.

Add to that the EyeSight camera system which displays safety-based analysis in the gauge cluster and we've got one high-tech, futuristic Subaru that's not just an all-wheel drive meh-mobile.

All it needs now is missiles and we're good to go.

By Phil Alex

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