What has Subaru Done to the Hot Hatches?

The Subaru team made an unpopular choice to discontinue the hot hatches that we loved, which leaves us without a heritage model from this brand.

As a brand that has dominated the World Rally Championship races around the world for several years, we weren’t happy to learn that the brand chose to get rid of the hatchback models of the Subaru WRX and WRX STI. This unpopular move has left us with a large number of questions that need to be answered, and until recently, we haven’t had a single answer to share. Now, it seems, we might have a clearer look at what the future might bring for the brand.

The Sedans Can’t Compete

If we take a step back for a minute, it seems that changing paths wasn’t necessarily a smart choice when it comes to racing. Subaru has dominated the WRC races with the hatchback models of the WRX and WRX STI and no other brand seemed to be on the same level at all. Now, we see the Toyota Yaris WRC racers have become the top models in the sport. This means there needs to be a different type of Subaru to enter the races again because the sedans are too large to qualify for the WRC circuit.

A New Model from Subaru in the Mix

So far, all we hear is conjecture and rumors regarding a new hot hatch from Subaru, but we do expect this to come to fruition. The brand is allegedly developing a new compact hatchback model that will be able to once again compete in the WRC races around the world. If this car is developed and offered, Europe would consider it to be a B-segment vehicle that we can admire and experience in the races that we love to see. This could be exactly what we’re looking for from this brand.

Ready to go before the Race

Subaru is planning to bid for the rights to host a WRC race in the future and would need to have an entry in the race in order to do so. Right now, the brands that compete on the WRC tracks include Citroen, Ford, Toyota, and Hyundai, which leaves plenty of room for Subaru to get back in the mix and offer us the racing machine that we want to see and admire. As we see it, everything is lining up for the Subaru brand to get back in the mix and race again.

Another Reason for a new Subaru Hot Hatch

Adding a new model that’s a hot hatch that can handle the job of racing in the makes a lot of sense. The WRX and WRX STI are scheduled to be refreshed to give us the next generation of these two cars. This means a hot hatch that could be added to the mix would be a welcome addition to the mix to give us a Subaru model that can race and ride on the WRC circuit to give us a car we will admire and love.