Subaru Targeting Efficiency With New 2.0 And 1.6 Boxer Engines: Report

Subaru will reportedly introduce two more engines in 2012, introducing a new turbocharged 1.6 litre unit and adding a turbo to the recently-launched 2.0 litre boxer engine.

According to US magazine Car & Driver, both engines will benefit from direct injection - absent from the new naturally-aspirated 'FB' engine.

Subaru's combination of direct injection and turbocharging - similar to Ford's EcoBoost technology - forms part of the carmaker's plan to achieve a 30 percent improvement in fuel consumption across its line-up by 2015.

The company's high-powered STI line-up appears safe also: the report adds that a 225kW version of the 'new' turbocharged 2.0 litre engine will headline the next generation of Subaru performers.

With the current WRX STI managing 221kW, expect Subaru to screw significantly more out of the new engine - if only as a special top-shelf offering.

Whether a turbo engine will make its way into the BRZ coupe is unclear. So far, Subaru and Toyota have deftly danced around suggestions of an eventual boosted offering.

The number of Subaru models featuring its Lineartronic CVT transmission will reportedly increase, with different versions developed to suit higher torque levels (meaning the next auto-equipped STI might be more appealing). 

Expect improved aerodynamics and lightweight construction to play a part in Subaru's fuel economy campaign, particularly with (almost) all of its models 'burdened' with the extra weight of an all-wheel-drive configuration. Lighter materials and high-strength steels will play a big role here. 

Subaru has also confirmed in recent months that a hybrid model will join Subaru's line-up in 2013. Dtails on this model are thin on the ground, but it is possible that we may see an updated production version of the Hybrid Tourer Concept revealed in 2009.