Subaru is back to the future in Tokyo

Subaru went back to the future with the Forester Wilderness prototype, signalling a clear intention to return to the recreational offroading market

ALTHOUGH not yet confirmed for Australia, Subaru gave a clear indication of its future direction when it unveiled a series of prototypes at the Japan Mobility Show.

While much of the attention was on the Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) E-STI prototype as the future high-performance STI brand, Subaru showed it had not completely disregarded internal combustion power with the B-STI prototype.

The E-STI prototype battery electric vehicle, an aggressively-style sedan-hatch, gives a hint towards Subaru's future intentions for the STI models

Described as ‘a forward-looking performance vision for Subaru’s next generation’, the E-STI is an aggressively-styled sedan-hatch with clear motorsport cues, complete with the factory motorsport colours of WR Blue with gold rims.

The B-STI is less-aggressively styled, while still delivering a clear connection to previous STI models, and looks to be more production ready, retaining Subaru’s familiar horizontally-opposed engine and all-wheel-drive.

Those with longer memories will recall Subaru’s arrival in Australia more than 50 years ago with the first non-commercial vehicle all-wheel-drive wagons and utes, with the brand establishing a reputation for go-anywhere ability coupled with passenger car comfort.

A trio of ‘Adventure Scene’ prototypes, based on the Forester and Outback wagons and an all-new ‘Trailseeker’ prototype, signalled a clear intention to reclaim the recreational high ground.

All three models featured improved ground clearance and wheel-arch extensions to fit larger off-road tyres and rims, with improved underbody protection and approach and departure angles for better rough terrain performance.