Impreza Concept No Sedate Sedan for Surging Subaru

LOS ANGELES – Within weeks of what Subaru of America says will be a seventh sales-breaking year, the automaker unwraps the concept car poised to lead the brand into the future.

Los Angeles auto show attendees get a first look at the Impreza Sedan Concept, which spokesman Michael McHale calls the first example of the next generation of vehicles developed on a new modular, sportier and less-angular platform that employs the automaker’s Dynamic x Solid design language.

Subaru’s Prominence 2020 campaign includes plans that will serve as the foundation for all models going forward. One initiative is to improve fuel economy, meaning all future models likely will have one of Subaru’s new flat-four engines, otherwise known as boxer engines. The current ’16 Subaru Impreza creates 148 hp and 145 lb.-ft. (197 Nm) of torque.

A hatchback version of the Impreza Concept was unveiled at last month’s Tokyo auto show.

“Today we’re going to show you a car that’s going to give you a really strong hint of where we’re going,” McHale says. “We have a lot of work ahead of us.”

The Impreza Sedan Concept, which fits five, has a hexagonal grille, hawk-eye headlights and aircraft-inspired wings in front that show a strong Subaru identity, with the four sides of the car designed to seamlessly “create a solid and muscular body...the ruby red metallic color with glossy black accents represents a sporty and energetic impression,” a company statement says.

Tom Doll, president and chief operating officer-Subaru of America, asserts his company chose Los Angeles for the unveiling because the car is “way cool.” Southern California also was the display venue of choice because sedans are vital to U.S. sales.

Doll says SOA is on pace to sell 575,000 units by year’s end, more than tripling its overall sales volume since 2008. So, while 2015 may be called the year of the SUV or CUV, the automaker’s sedan models have accounted for much of the automaker’s recent market successes.

“No cost cuts, no shortcuts,” Doll says. “All of the attributes of a Subaru, all-wheel drive, reliability, durability, safety, class-leading fuel economy, high resale values and now the very latest in technology and style – all this can be found in our sedans...you simply get it all.”