The Subaru STI E-RA concept is an electric racer

By topgear, 17 January 2022

And that massive aero package suggests it won’t exactly be slow

The Tokyo Auto Salon has opened its doors for 2022, and Subaru has rocked up with this absolute monster: the STI E-RA electric racing concept.

Doesn’t look like they’re messing around does it? Developed as part of an in-house study that’s looking into future tech that could be used for carbon-neutral racing, the STI E-RA bears a massive front splitter, air intakes, diffuser and rear wing, plus an F1-style intake above the roof.

There are no details yet on what powertrain it uses or how fast it would be, but then it’s a concept and those numbers are always a bit pie-in-the-sky anyway. So you’ll have to use your imagination for now.

Also present in Tokyo making its world debut is the Solterra STI concept, a hot version of the all-electric SUV that marked the brand’s first venture into the world of EVs late last year. It gets a roof spoiler, cherry red accents (including under spoilers) and is said to inspire ‘superior driving dynamics’.

Subaru isn’t the first car maker to try its hand at EV racer concepting: the Porsche Mission R raised the bar when it was revealed last year, and who could forget Nissan’s Ariya Single Seater thing from just before Christmas?

Does this latest pair whet your appetite for - and this may be the first time this phrase has been uttered in human history - future hot electric Scoobys? Thoughts below, please.