The Tokyo Auto Salon is not your average car show. While the automaker is no stranger to bringing the same kinds of concepts you might see in Detroit or New York, the custom cars and aftermarket parts they carry are the true stars. Subaru presents its A-game for 2023, showcasing a neat range of vehicles that includes new models, concept parts, and lots of motorsports goodies.
Front and center in Subaru’s Auto Salon display is a modified version of the next-generation Impreza hatchback that made its debut in Los Angeles in November. Instead of just launching the same bone stock car from LA, Subaru outfitted this Japanese-market Impreza with a few STI accessories in development.
The details are light – and we’re waiting for Subaru to get back to us with a more complete list – but report from Carscoops said that the Impreza Concept carries STI-specific bumpers and side skirts, as well as a more prominent roof spoiler. Gloss black paint can be found almost anywhere that Sunbrace Pearl Orange car paint is not. But perhaps the coolest part of the whole concept can be found at the back, where a pair of center-mounted exhaust tips hang out.
Continuing the forbidden fruit vibes is the Levorg STI Sport prototype, a limited production jump cart and a number of improvements over the Levorg STI Sport R EX on which it is based. This sharp little longroof takes the transmission oil cooler, flexible draw stiffeners and other chassis reinforcement, 19-inch BBS wheels, and Recaro front bucket seats.
If beefcake off-road aesthetics are more your thing, check out the Boost Gear concept. Basically, Subaru took the subcompact Rex and the larger Crosstrek and outfitted both vehicles with all sorts of rugged bits like thicker all-terrain tires and big mud flaps. In Subaru’s own words, these passages “stir up a more active and positive adventurous mind,” lines we’re pretty sure we’ve also seen on those pill packs you buy at the truck stop.
There’s a little something for the motorsport geek here too. The Subaru booth at the Tokyo Auto Salon will also host the 2023 WRX Rally Challenge, which is slated to take part in the Japanese rally later this year. Attendees can also see the BRZ GT300 car participating in the Super GT racing series, as well as another WRX dedicated to the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
