Are Subaru Out Of Wrc?

[zeolite]

Ian - yes it's true that F1 doesn't want to make me buy the cars. However it's also true of late that WRC doesn't make me want to buy them. The cars are too far divorced from what's in the showrooms now. The Impreza and the Evo were the closest, but they're long gone now!

I agree with you there which is why the production class or a production +( like Gpa or Gp4) class make the most sense for promoting a car. This formula car class they are going for in 2010 holds no real excitement for me. It just seems another step away from rallying towards racing on dirt. I believe if the top class was production based the benefits trickle down to the customers in the form of the cars that we would want to own. The Impreza is a prime example of that. I hope the WRC will rethink there classes and make the top class less specialised and cheaper.

[jamesm]

Long post alert………..

As far as the WRC goes I think there are enough private M2 teams in the WRC to see it through next year. OK, it isn't going to be a great spectacle but there are already changes in the pipeline with the introduction of the new S2000 based cars which should bring costs down, a global promoter and this will hopefully revive manufactures interest. Plus the current WRC cars are a bit too much geared towards precision driving for my liking. Bring back cars that need to be chucked about and you will increase the interest and spectacle.

The WRC needs to up its game though. They also have the problem of the IRC which is in effect a cut price rival to the WRC. It is generating increased interest and the S2000 cars are pretty good to watch with a bit of noise and life to them. Many of the cars though are not full works outfits. Local dealer teams mainly like Peugeot UK who are running Meeke next year. The IRC still doesn't have the global recognition that the WRC has. I had great difficulty in even finding their website for the first time yesterday.

The WRC has always gone in cycles, from huge manufacturer interest to lean years. Look at the mid 90s, interest tailed away and you really just had Subaru, Mits, and Ford running full works teams (not even sure the latter days of the Group A Escort Cossie was a full works outfit). Then World Rally cars were introduced and we saw works teams from Subaru, Ford, Toyota, Mits, Seat, Hyundai, Skoda, Peugeot and Citreon. Hopefully the new regs will see renewed interest with manufactures once again seeing it as a place where they can build their brands battered by the recession.

The WRC is still a place where you can build a brand. However, once you get to the level of brand awareness Subaru now have. the return on investment starts to not add up. Audi came in with the Quattro, put their brand on the map and walked away. Not being in the WRC since 1986 hasn’t really dented their brand since. Same for Mitsubishi. They haven’t had a top line car in the WRC for a long time but they still shift both Evo's and the rest of the range. Yes they run GrpN but that just keeps thing ticking along and Subaru still have a GrpN car to keep a presence.

Was Subaru’s presence in the WRC responsible for me buying an Impreza? Undoubtedly yes, with a lot of help from McRae. Will Subaru pulling out of the WRC see me sell the Impreza? No. Will it discourage me from buying another, probably not. I currently can't think what else (for the money) I would rather buy. It is the credit crunch that is stopping me buying a new car. I always planned to buy an STI next year but now I will be keeping the WRX as a weekend car and getting a decent cheap commuter.

The currently economic situation will be very tough for Subaru. There is no way a WRC team with no sponsorship could be justified and in that respect they only have themselves to blame as they turned down one sponsorship deal after another as they wanted to keep the car blue. Personally, the colour of the car is irrelevant to me. They will be helped with the diesel but I think it is a case of them digging in to ensure the brand survives. That in the current climate is more important.

[DR Motosport]

I said on Tuesday when this news broke, that I didn't think Subaru would be back in 2010.

Now reading comments from Dave Richards, and from the boss of FHI, I think it's even more true.

A good comparason is Audi.

They entered the WRC for only 5 years, but twice won both the drivers and manufacturers titles.

Those years were the start of a transformation for Audi, that over the last 30 years have seen the go from a company that no-one wanted, to a company that now equals if not betters BMW and Mercedes.

Audi enthusiasts still talk about the quattro days. But Audi went on to dominate every form of motorsport they took part in from IMSA, DTM, Touring Cars, and Le-Mans.

I just hope Subaru are using Audi as an example of how to do it, and go on from here into other forms of Motorsport, but I do think we've seen the last of them in the WRC.

David

[scouk]

Al - if Subaru come out with the lightweight coupé that they've been doing with Toyota then I think it will be positioned to be the "fun" car of their range.

I have no doubt the new coupe will be a good car (it bloody should be anyway) Toyota have plenty experience with sport 2 door coupes and they are all good! The MR2 was binned a couple years back.. And a joint deveopment of Toyota and Subaru should bring out a great result! But will it be a subaru or toyota? (or both) Early days but already claims that it will NOT be 4wd and that the UK specs will not be turbocharged...

But it's not an impreza.. I hope i'm wrong but I can see the day comign soon when were arriving at meets in flat caps and pipes (Not literraly) talking about the goold days of the impreza when it was still in production...

Just my point of view at the mo... But I think if subaru are to continue the whoel family friendly affair, the Impreza name should be dropped from their cars and let it be remembered int eh history books for being a milti-award winning car with cult following potentially giving us teh only ever UK World Rally Champions .. and they come up with a new name... But then the Legacy has kept the same name for yonks now..

.. I do hope my thoughts are miss-places and the Impreza continues as a great performance car but with the likes of Ford and Vauxhall coming up with 250bhp range of cars at less cost.. IT's no longer an exclusive market... Between Evo's and SCoobs.. (althought you cannae beat AWD and the boxer burble. )

Edited December 18, 2008 by ScoUK

[micra_wrc]

Farewell SWRT message board