Subaru is said to be cooking something very exciting - and it isn’t a turbocharged BRZ.
A mid-engined sports car by the small Japanese manufacturer, that had to cooperate with Toyota for its current coupe, would seem very unlikely.
Nevertheless, an insider told Car and Driver a radical experimental prototype is being tested at the Tochigi proving grounds. Apparently, the machine has a mid-mounted turbocharged boxer delivering power to the rear wheels, and two electric motors managing the front ones.
The American reports that, according to the source, the mule is a BRZ, since that’s the only rwd model available in the line-up: _“Whether the end result will be a two-door sports coupe or some kind of sports crossover/CUV is still in the evaluation stage. A coupe seems more likely, though.”
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Apparently the drivetrain mirrors the one Subaru presented in its Viziv Future Concept, which came fitted with a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain for the front wheels and two electric motors for the rear. The mid-engine coupe, however, is said to feature a turbocharged 1.6-litre behind the driver’s seat and two electric units for the front wheels – all that while developing “somewhere north of 330 hp”.