2014 Subaru WRX STI back on table for UK

As the time gets closer for the launch of the all-new 2014 Subaru WRX STI, Subaru is already making changes in their global strategy. We reported here late December last year that Subaru would discontinue selling the WRX STI in the UK. But now Auto Express is reporting that the all-new 2014 Subaru WRX STI is back on the table as Subaru rethinks the decision to axe the next-generation performance model.

Sales of the performance WRX in the UK had been sluggish and Subaru said there wasn’t enough demand for the cars. Why has Subaru changed their mind and are now evaluating whether to bring the new WRX STI to UK? The decision is said to not have much to do with demand for the WRX STI but more with changes in the financial markets. This could be the case, but the Impreza is still a popular model in the UK. It could also have been a shrewd marketing move by Subaru to create more demand by taking it away.

An inside source told Auto Express, that a recent improvement in the Japanese yen to British pound exchange rate means better margins for its UK dealer network. But more importantly, Subaru has seen a “renewed appetite” for the latest version of Subaru’s most iconic performance model. Once you tell someone they can’t have something, they want it even more.

Subaru has a unique way of marketing their cars and this is likely a well planned strategy in the UK market. The 2014 WRX STI is scheduled to go on sale in Japan in early 2014, and they say they will wait until later this fall to make the final decision. What better way to create a new demand for the performance WRX than to wet peoples appetites?

The next-gen WRX has been seen testing near Malibu California and we get an idea of the outside. Subaru just released details on what is likely the forerunner of the next generation WRX STI. The newly launched exclusive 2013 WRX STI tS TYPE RA in Japan reveals what the 2014 model will be like under the hood. The fourth-generation model will likely get a tweaked version of the turbocharged 2.0-liter Boxer engine from the new BRZ but with more horsepower than the current WRX STI.

We do know the new 2013 WRX STI tS TYPE RA gets a 11:1 ratio quick steering gear box, “6 pot” Brembo performance brakes with grooved disc rotors and special brake calipers, and STI chassis upgrades that enable the car to better hug the corners. STI says the cars is designed with a higher level of performance called "stop-turn-run", which allows the driver “to manipulate the car at will.”

It will also feature a stiffer suspension in which it is upgraded with STI race tested coil springs, tuned rear dampers and bushings, 18-inch front Brembo rotors and 17-inch in the rear and exclusive Potenza 245/40R 18 inch performance tires. Now that sounds like something performance enthusiasts can look forward to in the next-generation 2014 Subaru WRX STI that will be launched next year. Stay tuned.