Subaru WRX passes 50,000 sales in Australia, new model due by end of 2021

The Subaru WRX has notched up its 50,000th sale in Australia, just months before an all-new model arrives in late 2021.

The 50,000th car was sold to Mark Biegel of Parkinson, Queensland (30km south of Brisbane's CBD), with his WRX Premium delivered through Llewellyn Subaru in Booval. Included with the car to celebrate the milestone was a five-year servicing plan and $5000 worth of accessories.

The WRX's 50,000-car sales milestone follows the announcement in December 2020 that its higher-performance sibling, the WRX STI, had passed the 10,000 sales marker in Australia.

First launched in Australia in 1994, the original WRX – then badged as the Subaru Impreza WRX – sought power from a 2.0-litre 'EJ20' turbocharged 'boxer' four-cylinder, sending 155kW and 270Nm to all four wheels through a five-speed manual.

The second-generation Impreza WRX arrived with more power in 2000, progressing through 'bugeye', 'blobeye' and 'hawkeye' facelifts over the next seven years, named after the shapes of each version's headlights.

The third-generation Impreza WRX launched in 2007 would be the final iteration of Subaru's rally hero to offer a hatchback body style, while the fourth-generation car debuted in 2014 dropped the 'Impreza' from its name, spinning the 'Rex into a standalone model.

A hotly-anticipated, fifth-generation WRX is due to be unveiled in the coming months, ahead of an Australian launch in late 2021, alongside new-generation versions of the BRZ sports coupe (in December) and Levorg performance wagon – the latter rumoured to adopt the 'WRX Wagon' name.

Rumours suggest it will drop the current car's 197kW/350Nm 2.0-litre 'FA20' turbo four-cylinder boxer engine in favour of a 2.4-litre 'FA24' turbo unit shared with the US-market Ascent and Outback, developing 213kW and 412Nm.

Drive will continue to be sent to all four wheels through a choice of six-speed manual or CVT automatic transmissions.

"We often talk in the automotive industry about 'halo' cars - those that attract off-the-scale interest. WRX is a prime example and played no small part in Subaru's massive Australian growth in the 1990s," said Blair Read, Subaru Australia General Manager.

"Its early relatively unassuming appearance – but for the giveaway 'letter box' on the bonnet – belied a package that won converts at a massive rate. Not only did it switch many thousands of people on to Subaru, it established a trend that many tried to follow but few got near.

"[The] current generation 'Rex is our biggest seller to date and the fact that there are WRX Clubs meeting regularly across Australia is proof of its enduring appeal.

"We can't wait to share details of the fifth generation during the year," he added.