Subaru to unveil electric sports-car concept at Tokyo motor show

Japanese car maker Subaru has teased an electric sports-car concept planned for unveiling at the Tokyo motor show at the end of this month.

A shadowy teaser of the show car – known as the Subaru Sport Mobility Concept – gives little of its design away, and Subaru has shared few details beyond claims it "evokes the evolution of the Subaru Sport values."

There are hints of the Subaru SVX – a luxury sports coupe sold by Subaru in the early 1990s – in the slim rectangular headlights, which adopt LED signatures on the concept vehicle.

Tellingly, there is no mention of the company's high-performance Subaru Tecnica International (STI) performance division, and instead the concept wears more conventional Subaru branding.

When plans for a new petrol WRX STI sports sedan were scrapped last year, Subaru said the STI division would shift focus to hybrid and electric cars.

It unveiled a race-car-style concept known as the STI E-RA in January 2022 – which is different to the upcoming 2023 Tokyo motor show concept – with four electric motors and 800kW.

The Subaru Sport Mobility concept could preview the future of the BRZ sports coupe, amid reports Toyota may develop the next-generation GR86 sports car on its own – rather than through a joint venture with Subaru, as with the past two 86 and BRZ iterations.

"This concept model expresses the enjoyment that Subaru offers in the age of electrification, embodying the pleasure of going anywhere, anytime, and driving at will in everyday to extraordinary environments," Subaru said in a media statement.

"Driving with peace of mind allows us to embark on exciting new adventures. This is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) concept that evokes the evolution of the Subaru Sport values."

The Tokyo motor show opens to the media on October 25, when the concept is expected to be unveiled.