Luxury Subaru breaks out

Fans of fast Subarus rejoice – a new luxury performance sports car is ‘winging’ in.

Auto Express has learned the Japanese firm has plans for a new coupé, based on the gullwing-doored Hybrid Tourer concept (left) which debuts at the Tokyo Motor Show next week.

Sitting at the top of the company’s range, it’s a spiritual successor to the much-loved SVX (right) which arrived 1991 and rivalled cars such as the BMW M3.

Likely to use the same platform as the Hybrid Tourer, power will come from a 2.5-litre turbocharged boxer engine although an electric hybrid drivetrain, like the concept’s, is possible. A Subaru insider said the car would target brawny performance motors such as the Vauxhall VXR8, which hints at a price tag approaching £40,000.

The SVX replacement is in addition to the upcoming £20,000 coupé, a sister car to the FT-86 which Subaru has jointly developed with Toyota. Set o be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in 2010, it will use the same body as the FT-86 – not a new design, as has been speculated – with some Subaru styling cues to differentiate it.

It will also feature the same Legacy-derived rear-wheel-drive chassis with power from a 200bhp 2.0-litre boxer engine, hooked up to a new six-speed manual gearbox.

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