Subaru Teases New WRX STI Model That Will Be Revealed Next Month

2025-12-30 11:13:41

A short video posted to Subaru's Japanese social media teases the new sport compact, which will debut on January 9.

  • A new Subaru WRX STI will be revealed next month, according to a teaser video the company recently posted to its Japanese social media accounts.
  • The short clip clearly shows an STI badge on the grille of a WRX model, and viewers can also hear the sound of its racy boxer engine.
  • The video captioned "Coming soon" concludes with the date of the reveal: January 9, 2026

While we were busy knocking back glasses of eggnog and opening presents on Christmas Day, we missed an exciting bit of news from Subaru. The automaker posted a teaser video on its Japanese social media accounts that shows a new WRX STI model, which it plans to reveal early next month on January 9, 2026, most likely at the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon.

The 12-second clip opens with an obscured view of a blue WRX, but the unmistakable STI badge affixed to the car's grille is clear as day. We can also see what appears to be a larger hood scoop than on the standard WRX. Other clips show the car's rear quarter panel, complete with body cladding, before the video cuts to snow-covered trees that hide the STI from view, though we can hear the sound of its racy boxer four-cylinder climbing the rev range. The video concludes with a shot of the car speeding by the camera in a blur, a close-up of the grille pattern and headlight, and finally an overhead shot that reveals a rear window, indicating the new WRX STI will still come as a sedan.

Before this teaser dropped on December 25, Subaru had been creating hype for the STI's return. During the Tokyo auto show at the end of October, it revealed two concepts, with each reviving the hatchback body style that skipped the last generation, which bowed out after the 2021 model year. Along with showing off those hot-hatch concepts, dubbed the Performance-B STI and Performance-E STI, Subaru reportedly plans to use customer input on those cars to help determine its future powertrain plans. However, that decision likely won't affect the STI that will be revealed in roughly two weeks, as it's clearly based on the WRX's current generation.