Subaru is on a roll. With sales up by over 13 percent in its main market of the U.S. last year, the company is on target to produce over 1 million vehicles a year for the first time ever. A major part of that success story lies in the bestselling Forester?s continued strong performance, with the Outback, Impreza, and XV Crosstrek also doing well. But word is that many U.S. Subaru dealers want something more, something special. And when the dealers in Subaru’s biggest market talk, headquarters listens.
So when a source close to Subaru recently told us of a radical experimental prototype being tested at its Tochigi proving grounds, it all started to make sense. Subaru is testing a first for the company: a prototype with a mid-mounted turbocharged boxer engine driving the rear wheels, and two electric motors powering the fronts. Our source says that Subaru is testing the radical all-wheel-drive platform in a modified BRZ, since that’s the only rear-drive model in the current lineup. “Whether the end result will be a two-door sports coupe or some kind of sports crossover/CUV is still in the evaluation stage,” says our insider. “A coupe seems more likely, though.”
With that information, our artist came up with this aggressively styled coupe, with flowing lines and bulges, and employing flared front and rear fenders with sizable rear air intakes to cool a mid-mounted engine.
This prototype is the most advanced all-wheel-drive model Subaru has ...