Ahead of the 2023 Tokyo Motor Show (pardon us, 2023 Japan Mobility Show), coming at the end of the month, Subaru has teased a first image of the model it plans to show off there. The Sport Mobility Concept is an electric sports car with a design inspired by the past, more specifically by the 90s-era SVX.
Car shows are becoming very local indeed. German manufacturers were busy presenting models in Munich, U.S. American manufacturers ditto in Detroit. Now it’s to the Japanese that the spotlight turns, as the Tokyo show approaches.
Subaru has shared an image showing part of the sports car, whose side window design is similar to that of the defunct SVX, offered from 1991 to 1997. The C-pillars are wide and the slim, horizontal headlamps stretch right up to the grille. The concept also appears to feature square wheel arches, a feature that defined the SVX at the rear.
The car's styling was totally unique at the time, and has aged rather well, even if it remains highly atypical. Only 25,000 examples were produced. Subaru wanted to break into the sporty performance segment with this vehicle, but the 3.3L V6 engine didn't convince buyers. Or was it the styling that put them off?
In any case, the company has moved on, and it's with the WRX and STI that it has succeeded in seducing sports car buyers. Today, it also offers the BRZ.
For the moment, Subaru isn't saying much about its new concept, except to state that it evokes the evolution of the company's sporting values. With that in mind, we can guess that electrification is part of the discussion here.
Stay tuned.