The Subaru WRX Is Dying In Japan, But There's Good News For America

Subaru will stop accepting WRX orders in Japan on May 18, but nothing changes for the US model.

2026 Subaru WRX

Photo by: Subaru

Anthony Alaniz

By: Anthony Alaniz

Mar 19, at 5:30pm ET

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The Breakdown:

Subaru will stop taking WRX orders in Japan on May 18.
A statement on Subaru’s consumer site says WRX production is ending.
A Subaru spokesperson told Motor1 that this is ‘a Japan-only deal.’

The Subaru WRX is dead in Japan. According to a statement posted on the automaker’s consumer website in its domestic market, production of the WRX S4 is ending, including the WRX S4 STI. The automaker will stop accepting orders on May 18.

Motor1 reached out to Subaru to see how this could affect the US model, and a spokesperson told us, "That’s a Japan-only deal. Nothing changing for US." The automaker builds the performance sedan in its Gunma Yajima plant in Japan and imports it to the United States.

Subaru WRX tS

Subaru WRX tS

Photo by: Subaru

Sales of the WRX fell by over 40 percent last year due to the automaker limiting WRX production to prioritize more profitable models. It sold just under 11,000 WRXs in the United States in 2025, but the automaker brought back the base WRX trim for 2026, making it more than $5,000 than before, which might help.

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The second-generation WRX launched in the United States for 2022. It arrived with a new engine and a new platform—one it shares with the Legacy and Crosstrek, which are two models the automaker already makes in the United States.

Motor1’s Take: Subaru ending WRX production in Japan doesn’t bode well for sales in the United States, but that doesn’t mean the automaker can’t shift production elsewhere. Despite the low sales and the lack of a proper STI variant, Subaru says it's still committed to performance cars.

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