Subaru has presented a vision of how its performance arm can be made future-proof. At the Japan Mobility Show, the automaker introduced the Performance-E STI Concept, a quite attractive electric hatchback that reimagines the brand’s storied STI badge. Don’t look for turbocharged boxer engines underneath this one.
It’s been three years since Subaru dropped the gasoline WRX STI, canceled by emissions regulations that made its rally-bred nature difficult to justify. But the fan base didn’t depart with it.
At the motor show, they were treated with both a gasoline STI version of the Impreza as well as a completely different styled Performance-E. No, it’s not a badge-engineered EV from partner Toyota, but a design study meant to showcase Subaru’s own direction in electric performance.
Low center of gravity
Subaru describes the concept as the next phase of its “Performance Scene,” a brand pillar focused on driver engagement rather than outright noise and spectacle with roots in rallying. Importantly, this is more than a design exercise.
Engineers say its proportions and chassis configuration — equipped with a cylindrical battery pack mounted low in the floor — deliver a 15 percent lower center of gravity than any current Subaru. A new suspension layout allowed designers to drop the hood line by roughly five percent, improving both aerodynamic efficiency and steering response.
From the outside, the car looks quite dramatic. With a long, tapering roofline and integrated XXL diffuser, the Performance-E channels rally aggression into a sleeker, almost aerospace-inspired form.
But the STI’s visual punch hasn’t been swapped entirely. A pronounced spoiler still crowns the tail, although ‘side wings’ might be a better description as it’s no longer interconnected. A ducktail complements the spoiler system, providing the necessary downforce.
Eight EVs by 2028
There’s no abundance of technical details Subaru doesn’t disclose power output, battery size, or range, though an all-wheel-drive configuration using dual electric motors is almost certain. The interior hasn’t been revealed either, suggesting the prototype may not yet be fully functional.
So, the Performance-E debuted alongside another concept, the Performance-B STI, a conventionally powered, manual-transmission model meant to honor Subaru’s past. Displaying both together signals how the company intends to transition its performance image rather than replace it outright.
The company plans to launch eight new EVs by 2028, half of them developed independently from Toyota. Insiders suggest the Performance-E may preview one of those in-house models, though no production commitment has been made official.
