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LOS
ANGELES -- The
Subaru BRZ Concept STI made its world debut last Wednesday at
the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. It is equipped with a 2.0-liter
boxer four-cylinder engine. Porsche and Subaru are the only automakers
to use boxer engines. The BRZ Concept STI is 4.7 inches lower
to the ground that any other Subaru vehicle. It comes with an
STI front fascia and splitter. In addition, the concept car has
a carbon fiber roof to reduce weight and lower its center of gravity.
The automaker
had the 14th press conference on the first media day. Also, it
was the eighth conference held inside the L.A. Convention Center’s
south hall.
"We
tried to make this car a low profile, a low center of gravity
car," said Ken Kondo, manager of marketing and corporate
communications for Subaru of America, Inc. "We think it's
going to be the most fun-to-drive car in our line-up. We do have
a sleek design and we also have a strong muscular fender flairs
and a rear wing with this car, which makes it more like an STI,
which is our sport heritage brand. We are estimating the horsepower
will be at 200, but it is not still fixed yet."
The BRZ
Concept STI also features Brembo brakes, 18-inch wheels and a
2+2 seating layout inside. The engine is 9.4 inches further back
than the motor in the Impreza.
Rumors
are that the yet-to-be-released Subaru BRZ sports coupe will look
very similar to this concept vehicle. The sports coupe will make
its world debut at the Tokyo Motor Show on Nov. 30. The production
version will make its North American debut at the 2012 Detroit
Auto Show.
"The
basic idea of the car was the sporty, fun-to-drive feeling,"
Kondo added. "The price will be released next year, I suppose.
We don't really have an interior for this car. It's a design concept.
The headlamp has the hawkeye shape. It does have the rectangular
accent, which we do have in the Impreza. We wanted to make the
hexagonal grille as our design concept moving forward. It's going
to be in the lower part of the bumper."
It will
be manufactured in rear-wheel drive only, an all-wheel drive option
will not be available. The production version will be built in
Japan. That vehicle will hit U.S. showrooms in May.
For
more information on the Subaru BRZ Concept STI, visit www.subaru.com/2011/auto-show/la.html.
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
The
BRZ Concept STI was designed to be a sporty, fun-to-drive car.
