Subaru engineers are busy working on a mid-engined sports car prototype. The news is yet to be made official as automobile manufacturers like to keep things covered until the right time comes.
It is anticipated that the company will bring the sports car as a successor to the Subaru RBZ.
The design is being addressed as ‘something special’ by the crew working on it. The car is made to meet the requirements of dealerships who require a different model from the conventional launches Subaru has been having in the past. The report comes from the US which hints at a possibility of the car not only being researched in the region but may also be built for the particular audience than expand it to global regions.
According to inside sources who revealed the information, Subaru is working on a prototype which is a mix of the existing RBZ and combining it with a petrol hybrid engine. The model will feature an all-wheel drive and falls into the performance category to justify the sports car tag. Pricing should be on the higher side as the brand is looking forward to impress speed lovers and not cater it to the daily commuters.
The all-wheel drive system found in the 2014 Viziv 2 SUV will be used in the prototype. The model uses a 1.6-liter turbo charged four-cylinder petrol engine which might probably be used for the concept model as well and mated with an electric motor to make it in hybrid. The power of the electric motor will be shared, with one motor being allotted to each rear wheel.
For better aerodynamics and fuel efficiency, the engineers have decided to switch the position of the engine. The petrol engine will be moved to the back while the electric motors will be mounted in the front. Another consideration that Subaru is undergoing at the moment is they are not sure whether to go for a coupe or build a small, crossover SUV. It might be determined by what buyers expect from the brand.
Adding to the news, inside sources confirmed that a coupe has more probability than a SUV. It may take a couple of months before official information related to the prototype drops in. Once the model hits the road for testing, we should be able to easily know much more about the design that Subaru opted for. It is expected that the upcoming car will share a lot of common elements with the RBZ.
