New Subaru WRX, WRX STI, Levorg Coming In Late 2020: Report

All three will get downsized engines.

By: Angel Sergeev

Aug 30, 2019 at 3:53am ET

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Earlier this week, we saw the updated Subaru Impreza for the Japanese market. Pre-order books are now open in the United States as well but there are no signs of a refreshed WRX yet. While we expect more details on the hotter version of the car in the coming weeks, a new report from Japan suggests a new generation WRX, together with a new WRX STI and Levorg, should debut in the second half of next year.

Take this with a grain of salt, as the report from BestCarWeb doesn’t mention any insiders, but the publication claims the next-gen WRX will finally move to the Subaru Global Platform that underpins the current Impreza. This should bring healthy improvements in terms of performance, which should be combined with a new downsized 1.8-liter turbocharged boxer engine. According to the report, the power output of this motor will be in the region of 270 horsepower (201 kilowatts) and, at least initially, the WRX will be offered only with a CVT gearbox.

As far as the WRX STI is concerned, BestCarWeb says it will move to the FA20F direct-injection engine. The 2.0-liter unit will be massaged to deliver 320 hp (239 kW) in stock form and will come exclusively mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Visually, the performance model should be inspired by the Viziv Performance concept, as also previewed in our exclusive rendering from March this year.

Last but not least, a new generation Levorg is also in the works and it should adopt a new 1.5-liter turbocharged engine, good for 150 hp (112 kW). An evolution of Subaru’s current CVT gearbox should channel the power to the wheels, providing significantly improved fuel efficiency.

BestCarWeb says concept cars previewing the three new Subarus should be revealed during this year’s Tokyo Motor Show.