Conflicting Information Leaves Subaru BRZ Future In Doubt

by Bozi Tatarevic

Published: December 16th, 2016

conflicting information leaves subaru brz future in doubt

The Subaru BRZ has been struggling along since hitting its sales peak in 2013, and its recent refresh hasn’t done much to help it rebound on the sales charts.

Now, thanks to conflicting information from Subaru itself, the future of the rear-drive coupe is as clear as San Francisco Bay at 7 a.m.

The recently launched 2017 Subaru Impreza is the first model built on the Subaru Global Platform. According to a release earlier this year, the rest of Subaru’s model lineup is to follow: “The Subaru Global Platform … will be used in the development of all Subaru vehicles from now on, beginning with the next-generation Impreza, due to hit the market in 2016.”

Subaru representatives reiterated this point at the recent launch of the new 2017 Impreza.

In a separate conversation during the Impreza launch, one of the company’s engineers stated the BRZ may not go on the new platform, bringing into doubt whether the BRZ will continue into another generation, and if so, in what form.

Additionally, speculation last year around the BRZ’s twin, the Toyota 86 née Scion FR-S, hinted at a move to the platform used for Mazda MX-5. Such a move by Toyota could spell the end for Subaru’s sports coupe.

Asked for clarification, Subaru’s national manager for product communications, Dominick Infante, didn’t offer absolutes, saying, “[The BRZ] currently uses a custom chassis so it’s possible for a next generation car to do the same.”

Still, a few possibilities exist regarding the BRZ’s future, should it continue.

The Toyota/Subaru project could divorce, with Toyota opting to use the MX-5 platform for its next-generation coupe. However, this would leave Subaru without a partner, and saddle it with the old platform.

The marriage between the Japanese automakers could continue, with both cars using a bespoke platform or one from Mazda.

The BRZ moving to Subaru’s new platform could open the door for it to offer all-wheel drive, a core part of the brand’s marketing DNA. Such a move would lead the BRZ down the road of becoming a successor to one of Subaru’s previous vehicles — the SVX.

Or Subaru could just kill the BRZ entirely — which is looking more likely by the day.

#Subaru #SubaruBRZ #SubaruGlobalPlatform #Toyota86

Bozi Tatarevic

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5 of 55 comments

LS1Fan on Dec 18, 2016

"Instead of giving up on it, why not improve it, give it more power, make a hatchback version, something, like others have suggested. It’s not an absurd idea." @nels3000 Why not : because automakers exist to make profit. Here's the rough business case for the following cars; Camaro ; platform amortization of GMs RWD Alpha platform and a pony car competitor. Mustang; flag carrier sports car for Ford and a marketing institution. Civic SI; niche enthusiast derivative of one of Hondas bestselling cars. WRX ; caters to the enthusiast driver who needs four doors who somehow convinced his spouse they shouldn't get a regular CUV. A derivative of Subarus mass market Impreza. The Corvette isn't even a Chevy product- it's basicallly a commercial American institution like McDonalds . Ironically most buyers of this car own it despite its high performance capabilities rather then because of them. The cold bottom line is that most enthusiast vehicles are impractical by the nature of their enthusiast-ness, which erodes their mass market appeal. Look at the 2016 Camaro ; a dynamic masterpiece that's glued to the dealer lots because it's not a practical car. My crystal ball says when a firm someday re-introduces a go-fast crossover like the unloved Dodge Caliber 5 door SRT , it'll be game over for the enthusiast segment as we know it.

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- Nels0300 on Dec 19, 2016
  
  "The cold bottom line is that most enthusiast vehicles are impractical by the nature of their enthusiast-ness, which erodes their mass market appeal." This has been true since the first enthusiast oriented vehicle. It's not like Toyota doesn't have platforms to use if platform amortization is a concern. They have the FRS platform and they have the Corolla Im they could use for a FWD performance car. Seriously, would it kill Toyota put something better than a 138 hp 1.8L in the Corolla Im? Every other manufacturer has something.
  
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- OldManPants on Dec 19, 2016
  
  @nels0300 "This has been true since the first enthusiast oriented vehicle." You elided his specification of "mass market appeal". There *was* no mass market when exorbitant, hand-cobbled enthusiast vehicles were first splattering game and arthritic sefs on His Lordship's estate roads. An annual couple of hundred supercharged drop tops delivered to wastrel Young Masters and the manufacturer achieved deathless icon status.
  
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- Nels0300 on Dec 19, 2016
  
  @OldManPants It has been true since there has been a mass market and enthusiast vehicles.
  
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Stanczyk on Dec 19, 2016

They've made so much(and for so long..) noise about their "new cool sporty car"...and after world premiere they've abandoned that car .. Every driver/reviewer says it's a great car .. it's got great balance and "top road manners" .. but .. it's "underpowered" ! (..small european hot-hatches are "stronger and faster"..) Car looks fresh and sporty(..in fact > it looks 0-60 in 5.5 sec. "sporty"..).. so there is no need for "optical" refresh .. what it needs is 30-50bhp more powerfull "pusher".. Turbo for Subaru / SuperCharger for Toyota , .. and add some "characteristic brand features" to differentiate that "twins" ! .. ... Nissan really should put that IDX concept on the road to show them how it can be done ..

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