Subaru has officially delayed the much-anticipated reveal of the fifth-generation WRX sports sedan, according to new report.
The new WRX was set to be revealed at 6:00am this Friday (AEDT), but the in-person event it was supposed to make its big debut at, the 2021 New York motor show, was cancelled at the proverbial last minute, raising questions on whether Subaru would change its plans.
A Subaru spokesperson has now confirmed to US publication Carscoops that the sports sedan’s reveal is currently up in the air due to the COVID-related cancellation, with its new timing and location “not confirmed” at this stage.
Needless to say, it’s only a matter of time until the new Toyota GR Yaris and Volkswagen Golf R rival takes centre stage somewhere, likely digitally, with a livestream ironically planned from the outset, anyway.
Either way, the WRX’s Australian launch was also recently delayed, with it now expected to enter local showrooms in the first quarter of next year.
While little is official regarding the sports sedans, the rumour mill has given us a good idea of what to expect, with it all but confirmed to use a new 2.4-litre turbo-petrol boxer four-cylinder engine with about 220kW of power. For reference, the fourth-generation model's 2.0-litre unit produces 197kW.
Naturally, Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel-drive system will be a fixture in the WRX, likely alongside two transmission options: a six-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
Furthermore, the sports sedan is set to use the now-ubiquitous Subaru Global Platform (SGP), which brings with it several performance upgrades, including adaptive dampers that would add further adjustability to its drive modes.
Of course, the WRX will form the basis of the next WRX STI, which is expected to up power to around 300kW while forgoing the CVT option for just the traditional three-pedal set-up.