Subaru will revive its dormant STI performance brand with the unveiling of two new concept cars – one an EV and the other powered by a combustion engine.

A preview image published by Subaru ahead of the upcoming Tokyo motor show reveals they will be a pair of hot hatches. 

The EV will introduce a new design language for the brand, with Subaru describing it as the “spearhead” for its next-generation line-up. It gets distinct lighting signatures and a more rakish roofline than its combustion-engined counterpart.

The combustion concept is more closely tied to the existing Subaru line-up and appears to be based on the Impreza hatchback currently offered in Japan and continental Europe. Subaru confirmed it will use its signature boxer engine configuration and symmetrical four-wheel drive system. 

The two concepts are the strongest hint at a relaunch of the STI brand after the final WRX STi came off sale globally in 2021. It was pulled from the UK three years before that due to tightening emissions regulations and changes to the World Rally Championship ruleset. The current-generation Impreza, which is not sold in the UK, spawned the stand-alone WRX saloon but not a more hardcore STI model.

Indeed, the company has sought to distance itself from its high-performance image in recent years. In 2021, Subaru UK’s then managing director, John Hurtig, said the WRX STI had “nothing really to do with the Subaru brand as it is today”.

The company’s UK line-up now comprises solely SUVs: the Crosstrek, Outback, Forester and Solterra. The electric Uncharted and E-Outback are soon to join the range.

But executives have more recently warmed to the idea of STI’s return. Speaking to Autocar following her appointment as managing director last year, Lorraine Bishton said that ignoring its sporting heritage was “a little bit of a missed opportunity”.

Earlier this year, Subaru Europe boss David Dello Stritto said: “Ask the average person what Subaru means and they’ll say STI. You can’t disassociate this from Subaru.”

He added that “a future WRX STI – super-fast, gold wheels, blue colour” is “what we want”.