STI Brings the Goods to Subaru’s 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon Showing
The Tokyo Auto Salon comes around once a year and showcases some of Japan’s top factory performance models and parts. For Subaru, this means putting their in-house performance subdivision, STI, center stage to lead the show.
An All-New Electric Race Car
With electric vehicles dominating the future automotive landscape, Subaru set their sites on building another STI RA (Record Attempt) car – but not in the sedan form-factor we’re used to seeing. Enter the all-electric all-wheel drive STI E-RA concept race car.
Powered by an electric motor at each wheel, the four-motor four-wheel torque vectoring powertrain in the STI E-RA pushes out 1073 hp. Tied to a 60kWh battery, the Yamaha-developed motors utilize a torque vectoring system that calculates how much power to send to each wheel by taking inputs from wheel and vehicle speed, G-force, yaw rate, brake pressure, wheel load, and steering angle. The result is an ultimate grip machine that Subaru says was built for “the pleasure of driving.”
Subaru Tecnica International (STI) will take the STI E-RA to the famous Nürburgring circuit in 2023 with a target time of just 6 minutes 40 seconds. Until then, expect to see Subaru testing the STI E-RA at circuits in Japan throughout 2022.
STI Performance
Subaru showcased a host of STI performance equipped cars including the 2022 BRZ, Levorg, WRX S4 STI, and 2023 Solterra. Fans of the BRZ and WRX may be a bit disappointed to hear that the cars revealed aren’t true STI cars (think along the lines of BRZ tS – tuned by STI), but what we do get for now is a plethora of STI performance parts for those looking to customize their rides. STI performance bridges the gap between standard and STI variants of the aforementioned models – visually at least.
The Solterra STI concept looks to just get STI-flavored accents, a lip kit all-around, and an STI spoiler on the rear hatch; but no word on an actual performance bump for the soon-to-be released EV.
The same tune carries over to the 2022 Levorg, BRZ, and WRX S4 STI. Cherry Blossom Red accents and STI lip kits adorn all sides of each car; each fitted with STI wheels and an STI exhaust out back.
Swan neck wings are on the menu for the BRZ and WRX S4 STI; and while a good match for the BRZ, we think a more traditional STI wing would suit the muscular WRX body design a bit better (what do you think?).
Some of the STI performance parts on display, such as the STI wheels and swan neck wing for the BRZ, should already be available for purchase – though we hear the wing costs a heavy $4,000!
It also looks as though we’ll have to wait a bit longer for the 2023 WRX STI debut and performance package option on the BRZ. Patience is a virtue!