2022 Subaru WRX teased, Australian launch due early 2022 – UPDATE: August 19 reveal confirmed

UPDATE, 28 July 2021: The 2022 Subaru WRX will be unveiled on 19 August 2021 at the New York motor show, the brand has confirmed.

Teaser images and videos released by Subaru USA overnight show the new WRX getting sideways in the American desert. Highlights include further confirmation the new model will draw inspiration from 2017's Viziv Performance concept, plus a glimpse of the 2.4-litre turbo engine's 6100rpm redline.

Stay tuned to CarAdvice and Drive for the new WRX's full live-streamed reveal next month. Our original story continues unchanged below.

30 June 2021: The 2022 Subaru WRX has been teased for the first time, ahead of a full reveal in the coming weeks or months, and an Australian launch early next year.

A sole shadowy image released by Subaru serves as our first official look at the production 2022 WRX, previewing its bespoke four-door sedan shape that draws visual parallels to the new-generation Levorg wagon (due in early 2022), and the Viziv Performance concept of 2017.

While the design of the teaser prevents a look below the car's window line, spy photos published in March confirm the concept-inspired styling, with surfaced rear haunches, aggressive lower front intakes and, from the rear, C-shaped tail-lights and quad exhaust tips.

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Subaru's US arm says a reveal of the new WRX will occur by the end of 2021, though using recent reveals from the Japanese brand as a guide, expect a global debut much sooner than that, likely around August.

Multiple rumours out of Japan corroborate what to expect under the bonnet of the new rally-inspired sedan: a 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder 'boxer' engine shared with the US-market Ascent and Outback, developing 213kW and 412Nm – a 16kW/62Nm bump over the outgoing model.

It's expected to drive all four wheels through a choice of six-speed manual or CVT automatic transmissions, as before.

Under the skin is slated to be the Japanese car maker's modular Subaru Global Platform, enabling a larger car than before, with Japanese media reporting it will measure 4650mm long, 1850mm wide and 1450mm high, sitting a 2670mm wheelbase.

A suite of advanced EyeSight driver assistance systems are set to be offered, including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist and driver attention monitoring.

The 2022 Subaru WRX is expected to be unveiled in full within the next few months.

An Australian launch is now slated for early 2022 – rather than the late 2021 date initially suggested – though final timing has yet to be locked in.

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