For decades, Subaru had run a successful strategy of offering high-performance versions of its already potent WRX built by its STI performance division. That came to an abrupt end in 2021 when the final WRX STI bowed out of production, with Subaru at the time saying it wanted to explore new avenues of performance, namely electrification.Fast-forward to today, and we don’t appear to be any closer to a new dedicated STI model reaching showrooms. However, a senior Subaru executive has stated that STI isn't dead - but there's a catch. Recent Concepts Hitting All The Right Notes Roger Biermann/CarBuzz/Valnet In an interview with Drive published this week, Subaru Australia General Manager Scott Lawrence said "STI is far from dead" and that there’s actually a lot going on behind the scenes. He pointed to a recent series of concept cars, and the enormous buzz they’ve generated, as signs that there’s plenty of life left in STI, adding that STI fans are the most vocal group of Subaru loyalists.The concepts he was referring to include the Performance-B and Performance-E show cars unveiled during the 2025 Japan Mobility Show. The Performance-B was a hot hatch with a manual transmission, boxer engine, and symmetrical all-wheel-drive system, making it essentially a vision of what the WRX STI hatch might have evolved into had it not been dropped in 2014.Roger Biermann/CarBuzz/ValnetHowever, despite looking like it was ready to race off the auto show stand and onto a showroom floor, Subaru has confirmed the Performance-B is just a concept. In contrast, the automaker has made no comment on the future of the Performance-E, a sleek, fully electric machine that appears to blend the lines of a station wagon and a supercar. Bye Bye, Boxer? Subaru Rather than commit to a new WRX STI with the signature boxer burble we all know and love, Subaru has continued to make noise about the need to move away from internal-combustion engines. The automaker has been increasingly active in the EV space, having already launched the Solterra along with the latest Trailseeker and Uncharted electric models. And Subaru’s general manager for Europe said as recently as last fall that the push toward electric mobility could ultimately make it possible for the brand to launch a halo performance model once again.Subaru has also been testing an electric powertrain for just such a car. Back in 2022, it unveiled the STI E-RA electric track car as a testbed for high-performance EV technology. That rolling laboratory used four electric motors producing a combined 1,072 horsepower, with precise torque vectoring enabled by independent motor control. Don’t be surprised if something similar eventually ends up in a dedicated model from STI.Jared Rosenholtz/CarBuzz/ValnetWhere does that leave internal-combustion loyalists? Likely watching from the sidelines, at least for now. Instead of a fire-breathing new WRX STI, the more probable path appears to be lightly massaged models wearing STI badges, such as the current tS (tuned by STI) line, which offer sharpened handling and visual tweaks rather than a full-fat return to the glory days. Of course, like most automakers cooling on their EV plans in light of slowing adoption rates, Subaru is also reviving interest in hybrid technology, so ICE fans shouldn’t give up hope just yet.