Subaru BRZ coming to Australia

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By Jez Spinks | December 14th, 2011

Subaru Australia will abandon its long-standing all-wheel-drive-only brand strategy and import the new rear-wheel-drive BRZ sports car in 2012.

One of Subaru’s biggest dealerships has told CarAdvice the BRZ will arrive in May in limited numbers – potentially pipping its well-publicised twin, the Toyota 86, to the local market.

Subaru Australia wouldn’t comment on the latest twist to the on-going will-it-won’t-it saga, which follows Monday’s report by CarAdvice that the BRZ was being imported to New Zealand.

The company, which was due to make its official announcement on the BRZ next week, has been torn between introducing a car that would excite enthusiasts but would also contradict a marketing strategy that has been built around all-wheel drive since 1997.

Nick Senior, Subaru Australia’s managing director, hinted strongly to CarAdvice at last month’s Tokyo motor show that he was contemplating the BRZ as an exception.

“Rear-wheel drive is in keeping with our brand; it delivers driver confidence,” said Senior. “It’s a driver’s car – and Subarus have always been a driver’s car.”

CarAdvice believes Subaru Australia may retain its localised “All 4 the driver” slogan despite the introduction of the rear-drive BRZ.

The Subaru BRZ is one half of a compact sports car joint project shared with Toyota – and since dubbed the “Toyobaru” by the industry. It was revealed in production guise for the first time at the 2011 Tokyo motor show last month, along with the Toyota 86.

Both cars will be built by Subaru in Japan. The Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ are virtually identical, including copycat exterior styling bar the odd detail.

The platform is derived from the Impreza small car’s underpinnings and is powered by a Subaru 2.0-litre horizontally opposed “boxer” four-cylinder engine but featuring Toyota direct fuel injection technology.

Toyota Australia is expected to price the 86 from between $35,000 and $40,000 when it lands in mid 2012.

Nate

Great news! Hope Subaru comes out saying so officially soon!

marc

rather have this car badged Subaru
http://www.autoblog.com/ UnderBrakes

i told ya so, why did the aus management play games, IT WAS ALWAYS coming to aus

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nugsdad

Wow there is a surprise
davie

Not surprised – they would have been mad to let Toyota have the party all to them selves.
Pauly

Well done Subuaru Australia. Logic Provails!

Heres hoping that by having Subaru launch the car along with Toyota it will keep prices realitively competitive.

Mark

Or price both ridiculous high. I think high price for both are most likely to happen, consider Australian market gets high price tag is an usual deal, so even $45000 for an entry level BRZ wont give me any surprise.
I believe Toyota FT86 will slightly cheaper than Subaru.

Altezza

Well done on your brave decision, Subaru Australia. At least Subaru Australia’s cars are still 100% Boxer engined with the addition of BRZ.
Nick

The pricing will determine the sucess of this car. Base should start from $33990(FT86). Anything higher and it will lose a lot of buyers. You can pick up a XR5 for $33990 and MPS for 39990.00

“James”

WAWAWAWAWAWAWAWA!

showtime

This is the best news I’ve read in weeks! Well done subbie Australia! Now price it a bit less than the WRX and you’ve got a winner!
craig

What a surprise! Nick “Windbag” Senior decided to bring it in – as if he wouldn’t! The guy is a joke, he’ll come up with statements why Australians prefer 4 speed autos in their Foresters, how we’ve embraced the looks of the new Liberty and Outback (but how many sales have you lost through their ugliness?), why Subaru Australia are true to the AWD only concept. Rubbish. He is just a salesman who has to flog whatever Subaru manufacture, including crappy 4 speed autos, high fuel consumption and low powered standard engines.

davie

Toyota supplied the gearboxes for the BRZ which is lucky. Imagine it it was Subaru. This thing would have had ye-olde 1980′s 4 speed auto and 5 speed manual.

If Subaru can concede to toyota on its core values of obsolete transmission technology and ugly styling for the 86/BRZ. They can no doubt convince themselves to market a RWD car.

JEKYL & HYDE

i’m calling it a suby.suby body,subu motor.buy the suby,not the 86(the punters will)…

MatthewM

Why pay more for a badge?

Anonymous

Will be interesting to see the 86 vs BRZ in the car reviews, lap times etc…

That will separate the mice from the… the… uh… mouses?

jr

you can call it what you want , but Toyota is still Subarus biggest single shareholder
jr

you can call it what you want , but Toyota is still Subarus biggest single shareholder

RF_Alpha

Actually it’s a Toyota body, as they were in charge of the styling.

VW

I would buy the Subaru over the Toyota. Its only fair. Its a Subaru not a Toyota. And I think it looks better as well.
Jzaa

Subaru Engine, Subaru did the engineering, Subaru is building them – seems all toyota did is redevelop a few bumpers for their version and add i guess add direct injection which was no doubt no small feat – but still seams like subaru did most of the work

Adam

And that Toyota funded a significant part too. Oh wait, R&D is free.
Adam

And that Toyota funded a significant part too. Oh wait, R&D is free.
VW

Exactly. This is a Subaru. Toyota basically outsourced this vehicle because they cant produce a car that is ‘fun to drive’ themselves. Its an injustice if people buy the 86 over the BRZ.

Big Toyota Fan

Thats not fair to Toyota. They did have to engineer the Toyota badge onto the car.
Big Toyota Fan

Thats not fair to Toyota. They did have to engineer the Toyota badge onto the car.
jr

HAHA Toyota bought the major share of Subaru for its unused production and engineering capacity , thats like saying dont buy a Audi because VW designed it

Thrillhouse

Sadly, that’s the exact reason why I wouldn’t buy an Audi.

davie

An over simplified view with a bit of bias thrown in…

What WILL be an injustice if one of this pair is priced significantly more than the other for no apparent reason except for a badge.

The simple way for you to right injustice and empower your self is to walk across the road to the competitor – wether it be toyota or Subaru – and buy their version of this identical car.

The workers in the subaru factory get paid either way
Ibc

What about the 2000GT?
Oh yeah, that was built by Yamaha…..

VW

Exactly. This is a Subaru. Toyota basically outsourced this vehicle because they cant produce a car that is ‘fun to drive’ themselves. Its an injustice if people buy the 86 over the BRZ.
davie

Subaru has been unable to introduce DI to their engines and have failed at previous attempts.

Subaru = engine, chassis, initial lack of interest, manufacture
Toyota = initial idea, D4-S port+direct injection technology, gearbox, diff, millions of R&D$$$, styling

Call it even I think.

Big Toyota Fan

You forgot Toyota also added the badge. Thats a big part. For Toyota fanboys, it worth at least 5kw.
Big Toyota Fan

You forgot Toyota also added the badge. Thats a big part. For Toyota fanboys, it worth at least 5kw.

davie

Subaru has been unable to introduce DI to their engines and have failed at previous attempts.

Subaru = engine, chassis, initial lack of interest, manufacture
Toyota = initial idea, D4-S port+direct injection technology, gearbox, diff, millions of R&D$$$, styling

Call it even I think.
RoFlmaTiC

If you’re right and Subaru really did the bulk of the engineering/design/work, why is this car not AWD?

Logic fail.

Jzaa

Subaru Engine, Subaru did the engineering, Subaru is building them – seems all toyota did is redevelop a few bumpers for their version and add i guess add direct injection which was no doubt no small feat – but still seams like subaru did most of the work
jr

I think you are all forgetting who Subarus biggest shareholder is
jr

I think you are all forgetting who Subarus biggest shareholder is

Andrew

Jr, they own 8.7% of Subaru shares. Hardly a controlling stake……….

AlanG

Initally yes, but now Toyota owns 16% of Fuji Heavy Industries – Subaru’s parent company, the biggest share holder.

Andrew

Jr, they own 8.7% of Subaru shares. Hardly a controlling stake……….

AndrewF

As for their concern about ‘contradicting marketing strategy’… well, here’s one marketing strategy that has been successful in the past: give your customers what they want.
AndrewF

As for their concern about ‘contradicting marketing strategy’… well, here’s one marketing strategy that has been successful in the past: give your customers what they want.
save it for the track

Actually Toyota holds 16.48% of Fuji Heavy industries of which Subaru is part of. That’s from FHI website, not wikipedia or the like. Suzuki holds 1.75% by the way. A bunch of Corporate Banks and Insurance companies all hold between 1.32 and 4.70 for a combined total in excess of Toyota.

Jared Richardson

Yes but Toyota is still the largest single shareholder
Logic

So you own 16.48% but get them to do 80.48% of the enginerring on the car. That car is a Subaru. Doesnt matter who owns what shares.

save it for the track

Actually Toyota holds 16.48% of Fuji Heavy industries of which Subaru is part of. That’s from FHI website, not wikipedia or the like. Suzuki holds 1.75% by the way. A bunch of Corporate Banks and Insurance companies all hold between 1.32 and 4.70 for a combined total in excess of Toyota.
MY04 STi Driver

First thing i will do is swap the 2.0l with the 2.5 STi power plant.. Then i will consider it.
Series6

So US$24K somehow converts to $AU40K. It better have remarkable fitments over the US model for that.
Think is go a used EvolutionX for that price taking on roads into consideration.

Steven Hambleton

Plus sales taxes in whatever state it’s sold. Also consider the cost of transport, sales, admin here compared to the US.

Jai

& all of that amount’s to $16,000 ? so we’re all expected to bend over with a delightful smile because the government & the car companies need to make a lil extra profit at the cost of Australian motorists

Josh

It does, believe it or not. In the US, they dont display the full price of the car for advertising, after all of the taxes and import charges have been added.

Sumpguard

People can gloss it over with the toyota R&D arguement all they like. Toyota haven’t done exciting for around 2 decades. The excitement has come from subaru and it will be that excitement that sells the car.

Around

So just because nothing has been out in your so called 2 decades that they are no longer allowed to change?

Joe

At first they may go with the ‘driver’s car’ angle, but surely this should open the door for lighter front wheel drive Subarus. There have been some good ones over the years…and Subaru could do with a sub compact!
Anonymous

How silly of them to abandon their AWD philosophy just to chase a few thousand sales which will make almost no difference to their market share. Not only that but they have to compete against Toyota who are selling an identical car. I suppose we’ll soon see a FWD Forester – it’s inevitable now.

Josh

That idea certainly hasnt hurt Audi, theyve been doing it for decades

Braedz

Best looking Subaru they have made in a while. I think this will sell well, if I had a choice between the BRZ and the 86, I would definitely pick the BRZ considering it is more Subaru than Toyota.

I wonder if we will have some bogans that will debage the 86 version and put Subaru badges on it?

Josh

Without a doubt
Sonic

Bogans do not drive small sports cars.

Darega

Ugly as sin, makes Daewoo and Hyundai carsd look good in comparison.
Should get Alfa Romeo to design exteriors & avoid instant aging Rice balls.
Josh

Well done Subaru – looks like ill be trading in my Impreza next year!