Subaru's Synthetic Fuel Experiment Could Save The STI As We Know It

Key Takeaways

Subaru will compete in the 2024 Super Taikyu Series with a concept fueled by synthetic fuel.
The High Performance X Future Concept is a racing adaptation of the Subaru WRX.
A lack of STI models has hurt Subaru sales figures.

Subaru has announced that it will compete in the 2024 Super Taikyu Series with a new vehicle that has the goal of “making internal combustion engines more environmentally friendly while honing a variety of future technologies at the racetrack.” The Super Taikyu Series is the same one in which Toyota has shown the potential of alternative fuels like hydrogen, and Subaru is doing the same with synthetic fuel.

2024 Subaru WRX Sedan

Base MSRP: $32,735
Horsepower: 271 HP
Torque: 258 LB-FT
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/CVT
Drivetrain: All-Wheel Drive
0-60 MPH: 5.4 Seconds
Top Speed: 134 MPH

The new vehicle is called the High Performance X Future Concept and is based on the Subaru WRX. Under the hood is a 2.4-liter horizontally opposed boxer engine with a single-scroll turbocharger developing over 300 metric horsepower (295 hp in our money) and more than 295 lb-ft of torque. This feeds all four BBS 18×11-inch wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.

A Change In Philosophy For STI?

While the existence of this new racing concept is not confirmation of any high-performance road cars just yet, Subaru makes it very clear that its racing concept is based on a regular four-door sedan and that the lessons learned in motorsport will be applied to real-world cars. Why does this matter? When the latest WRX was revealed, Subaru said it had no plans for an STI model, arguing that it was “exploring opportunities for the next-generation Subaru WRX STI, including electrification.” Just two months before that, the STI E-RA concept was revealed as an all-electric racecar of the future.

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But all of this was in 2022, and at the time, Subaru noted that it was concerned about incoming emissions legislation, fearing that introducing an STI would not be a profitable exercise as those stringent economy rules would have quickly killed the high-performance model anyway. Since then, however, the automotive landscape has shifted to the point that nearly every automaker that committed to full-scale electrification by the end of the decade has scaled back those ambitions. Of course, Subaru could still pursue a hybridized STI, but at least a full EV now seems less likely, especially given the positive responses to the 670-horsepower Project Midnight one-off.

Plenty Of Reasons To Keep The STI Faith Alive

Sales figures suggest it was a bad idea to cull the STI, and given the increasing demand for hybrids over EVs, we doubt introducing an electric STI (potentially badged STe) would do Subaru many favors right now. Fortunately, Subaru is working with Toyota and Mazda on new engines that will be powerful, compact, and carbon-neutral. The Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR 86 are proof that collaboration between automakers can lead to great things, and if Subaru continues to follow the mantra that Toyota does – “making ever-better cars with motorsports as a starting point” – there may just be a brilliant STI in our futures soon. Fingers crossed.