Subaru BRZ 2012 News

When I was a little bloke, a visit to the old Sydney Showgrounds was always a very special event.

A combination of high demand and low supply has already made the Toyota 86 or Subaru BRZ rare with a 18-month waiting list for customers.

But not in the disastrous manner of 2011, when the  brand's production was stalled by natural disasters. The Australian arm of the Japanese car maker may struggle to get enough of its two new models, the Impreza and the XV, until production capacity is improved later this year. Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior says sales targets are around 700 per month. "Last year was 11,000 with 2000 WRX - our biggest problem will be supply for Impreza and XV - adding the XV we have another model without increasing production capacity, that's later this year," he says. The introduction of the rear-wheel drive BRZ (a shared development with Toyota) has given Subaru a boost as it continues to overcome its 2011 performance that was marred  by natural disasters. "It has already started doing things for us, there's a focus on Subaru since the announcement, with all the coverage and the unveiling - we've never seen so much coverage for the brand. "When it goes on sale there will be a potentially new audience for us," he says. While the rear-wheel drive model has been seen by some in the industry as a dilution of the Subaru All Wheel Drive mantra, Mr Senior says there were no plans to go front-wheel drive with its new Impreza to provide a cut-price contender in the small car market."The short answer is no - we've been able to demonstrate that the changes we've made to the Impreza, in terms of weight reduction and transmission technology, has put us towards the top of the pack."In terms of fuel efficient and low emissions, a competitive price, the strategy we have adopted is the correct strategy and there's not a lot of benefit to gain from trying to compete at the bottom end with a front wheel drive car in that category," he says. Sales targets for 2011 were set above the brand's 2010 record of around 40,000, numbers. Mr Senior is aiming to see in the year-to-date total column at the end of December, but without resorting to a front-wheel drive model. "We at the moment have a point of difference in the small car class, we've demonstrated it doesn't have to add weight and in fuel consumption we are ahead, we've addressed a whole lot of issues - there's not going to be a huge saving going FWD any way, our system is simple and we do it efficiently," he says. Four new Subarus will grace local showrooms over the next 12 months - XV, Impreza, BRZ and Forester - but the wait for new WRX and STI models (now a line-up divorced from the Impreza) will be a little longer. "WRX and STI is now it's own model in its own right, the business model is being done at the moment, it will not be here this year - we've seen the strongest WRX sales we've seen in the last 5 years on the changes made, that will continue for a couple of years," Mr Senior says.

The Japanese sports car is finally confirmed for local owners in the first half of 2012 with a promise that it will deliver the real-world enjoyment of the best computer driving games. "We want to take kids from Gran Turismo simulation to grand turismo reality," Nick Senior, managing director of Subaru Australia, tells Carsguide. He is promising a breakthrough sports car that - despite being shared with Toyota as the 86 - will deliver on Subaru's strengths and satisfy the early adopter in Adelaide who was first with a local deposit. "This is a chance for us to appeal to younger people, the 25-35 year-olds, and people who might not have considered a Subaru in the past. It's also for people who might not have been able to afford a WRX," Senior says. He refuses to be drawn on price but admits Subaru will only have a single, full-loaded BRZ with just one option - most likely a sunroof. With Toyota planning a sub-$35,000 starting sticker for the 86, that points to a BRZ at less than $40,000. "It's all about the offering to the customer. We will only get one specification. We won't have a base model and there will be only one option," Senior says. "We haven't even talked pricing with the factory yet. I'll do that in February." Senior says Subaru will not go head-to-head with the Toyota 86, even though the cars are virtually identical from their Subaru chassis and the 147 kiloWatt engine package to the Toyota-styled coupe body. "That's the challenge. Part of the whole decision making process was that we have to think about doing things differently. Being a bit innovative," he says. "We'll be looking at the whole-of-life benefits to our customers. That's where the focus has been, and continues to be." Subaru took months to finally commit to the BRZ and Senior says the decision was influenced by everything from the car's Subaru DNA to the response from Australian buyers. "We have been overwhelmed by the response to the BRZ since its unveiling in Tokyo. People have been pleading for us to bring the BRZ into the country." The BRZ will take a new place in the Subaru Australia range, without the company's signature all-wheel drive or the turbocharged engine - it's a naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre four - fitted to the WRX and STI hero cars. “It’s a driver’s car, so is in keeping with our fun to drive philosophy. But the STI will always be the pinnacle," Senior says. "As the factory has said, the next generation of WRX and STI is going to be a standalone nameplate. For performance, STI will be the pinnacle. So the BRZ is like a taster, or a sampler plate at a restaurant. It's a precursor to getting a WRX or an STI later on. We hope to get a younger audience. And traditionally WRX has been over 35. So we would like to get an under-35 audience. There will be an older group too, and they are likely to be the 'weekend warriors' who like to enjoy their cars, maybe occasionally with some laps on a track."

Subaru says it is the creator of the two all-new sports cars which will be sold simultaneously as its BRZ and the Toyota 86. The smaller of the two Japanese makers, who are partners in the project, says it is responsible for all the important stuff in the BRZ-86 and Toyota only added the froth and bubble once the hard work was done.  Subaru did the engine, chassis, suspension and brakes in the project, and the 86 even has a signature Subaru exhaust note from its flat-four engine. The car definitely looks like a Toyota, and is missing the all-wheel drive that has become a Subaru signature in Australia, but company chief Nick Senior says there is no doubt about who was responsible for the car. "It is, at the end of the day, a Subaru," Senior says bluntly to Carsguide. "Toyota input, at the end of the day, was design and product planning." His claim is sure to spark a stoush as the doors are thrown open this morning at the Tokyo Motor Show and people can decide for themselves as the two production cars can be assessed side-by-side for the first time.  Toyota has already given journalists a first drive experience in its 86 - and it's a terrific car - while Subaru will follow soon with the BRZ. Senior says anyone who drives the 86 or the BRZ will know that it's a Subaru at heart.  "They have poured a lot of Subaru into this car. it is a driver's car," he says. "The car, the drivetrain and the driving experience is all Subaru. That's one of the things that's given us a real cause for discussion and debate about this car and whether it comes to Australia." Subaru is also worried that it might not be able to match Toyota's plan for a starting price in the low $30,000s, perhaps as little as $32,000. "We are studying. We won't make a decision until later in December," Senior says. But he seems to be wavering from his previous assertion that the BRZ was unlikely for Australia because two of the brand's local pillars are all-wheel drive and turbocharging for its performance cars, both missing from the BRZ. "It's a process that started several years ago. It is great, at last, that the car breaks cover," he says. "More people have seen it now ... and I think that it ticks off a lot of boxes. "What Fuji has said for some time is they would like to consider it, and take it. But the final decision is up to us."

The basic shape of the Subaru is identical to the Toyota FT-86 but Subaru is likely to differentiate its car with a unique bumper and LED daytime running lamps.