Subaru has announced that UK sales of the legendary Impreza and WRX STI will end in the UK in 2013.
The current-generation Impreza is due for renewal, with a new model going on sale in the US and Japan from next year; however, Subaru has announced that it will not sell the new Impreza in the UK.
The move will mark the end of nearly twenty years of Impreza sales in the UK.
Subaru claims that it is axing the Impreza due to a lack of demand for the car in the UK. The Japanese firm will concentrate its efforts on its Forester, Outback and XV SUVs, leaving the BRZ as the sole performance model in the company's UK line-up.
Colin McRae drives the original Impreza WRC at the Rally of Finland in 1997
It's a pity to see the Impreza being killed off -- after all, it was Subaru's turbocharged rally monster which both the late Colin McRae and Richard Burns drove to their World Rally Championship drivers' titles in 1995 and 2001, respectively. The Impreza also bagged Subaru three WRC Manufacturers' Championships between 1995 and 1997.
The styling of the secong-generation Impreza was controversial...
Launched in 1992, the Impreza was an instant hit with buyers. A new model in 2000 featured a truly hideous front-end, which was swiftly rectified; however, it was the third-generation model, launched in 2007, which was most controversial. For the first time, the Impreza was given a hatchback rear-end and many fans were disappointed with the car's relatively soft nature.
...but it was the third-gen model which really split opinion
There are doubts too about the future of the Impreza's main rival, the Mitsubishi Evo. Mitsubishi has hinted that the current X model could be the last of its kind and has suggested that the new Evo could be powered by a hybrid drivetrain. If this is the case, it would mark an end to nearly twenty years of one of the automotive industry's great rivalries.
