There is a new performance badge. And a lot of mystery.
Do you know what bales is? If, as a brand, you do have a performance department (with accompanying baaaaadge), but then do nothing with it. A bit like an adolescent who refuses to use the left hemisphere.
For example, the OPC label was created in 1999 and died a quiet death. Renault Sport has gone back to the Alpine badge, but we still have to wait for the first Renault by Alpine. The worst massacre we find in Japan. The performance badges aren’t what they used to be, if they still exist. Nowadays Nismo and Ralliart mainly make spoiler packages and Mazdaspeed (MPS) no longer exists either. Then also have STI: Subaru Technica International.
New performance badge: STe
That branch of Subaru used to be responsible for the development of cars for motorsport activities (which Prodrive was going to drive) and of course the fast versions of the Forester, Impreza and Legacy. Lately there was still the ‘WRX STI’, but now there is still a WRX, but no STI. And it won’t come. That’s like Jonnie Boer’s desserts without a dessert menu.
One reason for the dilution or the expiry of performance badges is simple: electrification. An Audi RS e-tron GT, BMW i4 M50 and Mercedes EQE 43 AMG are not really sporty products, but just a little faster and more expensive than the models from which they are derived. Subaru does things differently with a new badge: STe.
Registered
Of course, that’s not official yet. The brand applied for the name plus the new logo on March 13th. On March 23, the patent office processed the application from Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru’s parent company).
It is very obvious that this is a performance badge for electric Subarus. At Motor1.com they have briefly dived into it and it is a bit more nuanced than that.
The name STe is registered for Japan, but not yet for the rest of the world. Motor1 dug in even further and spoke to a Subaru spokesperson. He confirmed that there will be no STI version of the current WRX anyway.
The changes in the world in terms of legislation make it unprofitable to incur the costs. But… The fast Impreza (which is no longer called Impreza) will eventually return.
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