Europe says goodbye to the Subaru WRX STI due to its high emissions

The war against polluting emissions in Europe has claimed another victim. This time it is the Subaru WRX STI, which will stop being produced in mid-2018. This means that after 17 years of continuous presence in Europe, this sports saloon has its days numbered on European roads. And since its production days are numbered, it is also expected that the last unit of the model will be delivered throughout that year, as the orders guarantee that none of them will be left undelivered, because the cars that have been ordered will be produced, although many more will not be accepted.

According to Subaru Deutschland, it is the European emissions regulation that has sentenced the model to disappear. This measure was taken because the Subaru WRX STI cannot reduce these without losing its essence. This has led the brand’s European offices to decide to remove the model from its range.

According to the director of the European division of Subaru, Christian Amenda, the demanding regulations in this regard mean that a classic sports car no longer has a place on European roads. But the brand does not want the model to disappear without more, and wants to give this classic, which has a small but loyal following, a fitting farewell. For now, they are working on the details so that this discontinuation is not something that simply happens, but becomes a milestone for the model.

Although it is a model that has enjoyed some success, it has not performed well in sales in the German market. In fact, only 859 units have been sold in Germany since 2011. In other countries, however, it has had higher sales. Even so, the withdrawal of the model in Europe does not mean it will disappear entirely, since emissions regulations in those other markets guarantee its survival, at least for now. Nevertheless, to avoid similar decisions in the future, the possibility of adding a hybrid powertrain to the model’s range is being considered. We will see about that in a few months. For now, we can say goodbye to this model in Europe and see how it continues in other markets.