Speculation has always been regular part of the auto-journo gig, and today we’re armchair-quarterbacking the current Subaru BRZ‘s future. If you happen to check out Subaru’s Japanese website at this link, translate the page from Japanese to English (unless you’re fluent in the language, in which case, good for you), and scroll down to the ominous message blared in big red letters: “We have closed the build-to-order manufacturing order for the models listed.”
Even though that translation is a little wonky, it looks like Subaru of Japan won’t be taking orders for BRZs anymore, a signal that the company has officially hit the brakes on BRZ production. When we reached out for comment, a Subaru spokesperson simply said they, “can’t comment on BRZ at this time.”
While that isn’t an outright confirmation or denial, we believe that if the BRZ was going to stick around for another model year Subaru would have just said it wasn’t going anywhere. Put all of this together and things aren’t looking good for the BRZ. So, even though Subaru is keeping its lips tight as to whether or not their only coupe will make it to 2021, we think it’s safe to assume today’s BRZ soon will be dropped from the model range. Surprising? Not exactly—the BRZ has been on the market for more than eight years now (production started in early 2012, if you can believe it), and a new-from-the-ground-up replacement is long overdue.
Speaking of, there is good news on the horizon. We’ve reported extensively about the successors for the BRZ and its Toyota 86 twin, which will finally get a spicier turbocharged engine under their hoods(!), and we expect them to debut in the middle of 2021. That means the new ToyoBaru twins will make it to market by the end of next year as 2022 model year cars, to fill that BRZ-shaped hole in your affordable sports-car world. We’re sad to see the current model go, but we’re equally excited to see what the next BRZ will bring.
The post Subaru BRZ Apparently Dead for 2021, Will Rise Again Like a Phoenix appeared first on MotorTrend.
