Subaru Performance-B STI Concept is The Hot Hatch We Need
TOKYO—Subaru shows off what essentially appears to be a (very production-ready) WRX hatchback. Surprise surprise, we like it a whole lot.
A fully-fledged STI model has been absent from Subaru's lineup in North America for almost five years now. Enthusiasts are still bummed about it. So it is with mixed emotions that we checked out one of the brand's two STI-badged concepts at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show. On one hand, the Performance-B STI Concept you see above is very clearly close to production, so that's pretty great. On the flip side, that will make it all the more disappointing if a production model doesn't materialize in the near future.
Like so many of this year's JMS goodies, there isn't a whole lot of official information about the Subaru Performance-B STI concept. We know it uses a gasoline-powered engine "base"—which doesn't technically preclude it from being hybrid-powered—and that it will have Subaru's trademark symmetrical all-wheel drive system, because it'd be bonkers to suggest otherwise.
2025 Subaru Performance-B STI Concept: All the Details
What we're essentially looking at here is an Impreza hatch that's had a WRX rhinoplasty and was downing creatine shakes during the entire recovery process. The familiar front-end gets the traditional cherry blossom-hued grille surround and STI badge, with a contrasting hood segment complete with "Proud of Boxer" script ahead of the big air intake. Yes, those are swollen wheel arches, and yes, they are actually body-color. Don't worry, the WRX's stock wheel arches can't hurt you anymore.
Subtlety is fitting your concept car with entirely reasonable 18-inch alloys and tires, eschewing the huge wheels favored by so many brands. The opposite of subtle is the Performance-B's massive rear wing, which wouldn't look out of place on a rally stage. The rear diffuser isn't much better, though it does tidy up the look nicely with the clean and centered twin-pipe exhaust setup.
Inside, the Performance-B looks functionally identical to the WRX, with a large portrait-style touchscreen in the middle. Nothing stands out as obviously different save the powertrain.
What I'm trying to say, Subaru, is this: build it.
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Kyle began his automotive obsession before he even started school, courtesy of a remote control Porsche and various LEGO sets. He later studied advertising and graphic design at Humber College, which led him to writing about cars (both real and digital). He is now a proud member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), where he was the Journalist of the Year runner-up for 2021.
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...and REMOVE THE childish & juvenile REAR SPOILER, Subaru. Then it would not look like a presumptuous wanna-be super car driven by an infantile sophomoric callow.