- Subaru revealed an electric sports car concept at the Tokyo auto show called the Sports Mobility.
- The Sports Mobility concept features an upright, muscular design with bulging wheel arches and a blocky front end.
- Subaru didn’t provide many details or show an interior, leading us to believe this concept is merely a flight of fancy and not production bound.
This year’s Tokyo auto show has been overrun by electric sports car concepts, a welcome surprise in a world increasingly dominated by crossovers. Toyota showed off the angular FT-Se, Mazda presented the sleek Iconic SP with a rotary range-extender, Honda revived the Prelude name, and Nissan hinted at a future GT-R. Not to be outdone, Subaru showed off its own concept, the brawny Sport Mobility concept seen here, complete with boxy wheel arches and vivid blue accents.
Subaru was mum on the details, but did state that the concept was powered by electrons and that it “evokes the evolution of the Subaru Sport values,” so we presume the theoretical powertrain would be fairly punchy. Subaru said the driver is capable of “controlling all four wheels at will,” implying some degree of all-wheel drive and rear-wheel steering. Although it is hard to judge the size without a direct comparison, the Sport Mobility appears to be fairly compact.
The concept sports muscular looks, with a squared-off front and and boxy fenders giving the Sport Mobility an assertive stance. The blue accents peak out from behind the grey bodywork, highlighting the rectangular front intake, front hood vent, and fenders that sit separate from the body, similar to the look seen on the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP.
The front bumper, rear bumper, side sills, and aero wheel covers are finished in forged carbon fiber that adds visual pizzazz, and the slim headlights end with hexagonal housings reminiscent of the auxiliary lights found on rally cars, a field Subaru is quite experienced in. The rear end mimics the front with narrow taillights and features illuminated “Subaru” badging. Subaru showed one interior photo that looks surprisingly production ready, with a rectilinear steering wheel, a pair of conventional looking screens, and plenty of physical buttons.
Unfortunately, the Subaru Sports Mobility’s chances at production are low, but it shows that Subaru is at least weighing how to approach the electric performance cars. With an electric STI model coming by the end of the decade, perhaps some of the concept’s styling elements could carry over into future fast Subarus.
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Associate News Editor
Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.