Yahoo Autos Subaru Stops Taking Orders for the BRZ, Signaling Impending Redesign
If you were planning to pull the trigger on a new, built-to-order Subaru BRZ, the time to order one appears to have passed. Subaru of Japan has stopped taking orders for new cars, which means if you still want a new one, you'll be limited to the cars that dealers have in stock at the moment. The same goes for the Toyota 86, which has been manufactured alongside the BRZ at Subaru's Gunma plant in Japan for the domestic and export markets. The current-generation BRZ has been in production alongside its Toyota (and at one point Scion) twins since 2012, making it one of the older models in Subaru's stable.
However, this doesn't mean that production has already ended; the actual end is likely a few months away, while the cessation of new orders means that the automaker is winding down production and filling leftover orders placed weeks ago.
The end of built-to-order examples of the BRZ is hardly a surprise given how long the Toyota and Subaru models have been on sale. But it also signals something important: a second-generation model that had been rumored for some time that would continue the two automakers' partnership on small and sporty coupes. When the BRZ and 86 debuted, they were hailed as a breath of fresh air for both auto giants that had largely been without small and affordable sports cars in their lineups.
But just what such a successor could offer has been the subject of very conflicting rumors for the past few years. One persistent rumor painted the next-gen BRZ and 86 receiving a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder to give the new model a little more power, more than the 205 hp and 156 lb-ft of torque that the Subaru has had to play with all this time. The 2.4-liter, currently found in larger Subaru models like the Ascent, could give the next-gen model 260 horses. But just what platform will underpin the next model is also up in the air, despite rumors of Toyota using its TNGA platform for the new model. This would be a significant change for the second-gen model, as the first-gen twins used a Subaru platform.
However, neither piece of hardware has been confirmed in reports thus far, indicating that Subaru and Toyota have been keeping a tight lid on the project.
But if there are two trends we can be reasonably sure of it's that the next 86 and BRZ will have more power and more room. These two aspects of the current generation of the small coupes have been sore spots for the two automakers, and they're likely to be addressed in the next-gen models.
When might we see the second-gen models revealed?
The summer of 2021 is expected as the market launch time frame for the Toyota model, and likely the Subaru model as well. The two could be revealed late this year or early next year, likely independently of any auto show schedule.
(H/T: Torque News)
