Subaru Confirms Three New Manual Cars by 2027
While the rest of the auto industry is chasing touchscreens and electric motors, Subaru showed up at a racetrack and confirmed three new cars with manual gearboxes.
At Fuji Speedway in Japan, during the third round of the Super Taikyu Series endurance race, Subaru held a media roundtable and dropped the news. Three new manual transmission cars are coming by 2027.
Subaru’s Chief Technology Officer, Tetsuro Fujinuki, was there. He said: “We aim to create cars that can be enjoyed more casually.”
Subaru also posted a teaser on social media. Three cars, all covered under wraps.
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These three cars will be built by Subaru’s newly created Sports Vehicle Planning Office, which launched in April 2026. Its job is to take lessons learned from racing and turn them into actual road cars people can buy.
Car 1: The WRX Sedan Gets a Gearbox Upgrade
The WRX is getting a manual again, and this time, Subaru is not cutting corners on the gearbox.
Right now, the current WRX uses a TY75 manual transmission. It gets the job done, but it was never built for high-stress track use. For the new model, Subaru is reviving the TY85 gearbox, the same unit used in the old WRX STI from the GD generation through the VA generation, which ended in 2021. After that, Subaru discontinued it.
Now it is back.
The TY85 is physically bigger and tougher than the TY75. It is built to handle more torque and repeated hard driving. The TY85 supports DCCD (Driver Controlled Center Differential). The current WRX does not have DCCD. It uses a simpler viscous coupling setup. If the TY85 is going back in, a more advanced all-wheel-drive system could come with it.
Why bring back a discontinued gearbox? Because the demand was undeniable. Earlier in 2026, Subaru released the WRX STI Sport# in Japan. It was limited to just 600 units and sold through a lottery system. Over 9,000 people applied to buy one.
The hood scoop visible on the teaser image of the WRX sedan strongly suggests the car will run a non-electrified, turbocharged 2.4-liter boxer engine.
Car 2: A Lighter, Sharper BRZ
The BRZ sits in the middle of the teaser image. Subaru is calling it a “Complete Car.”
It is based on the BRZ STI Sport TYPE RA, a limited-edition model that launched in November 2025. That car was built in just 300 units and also sold through a lottery. It came with ZF shock absorbers, Brembo brakes, and lightweight parts. People loved it.
The new production BRZ will take that as a starting point and aim to go further, focusing on being lighter and sharper to drive. Subaru has been clear about not adding more power. The naturally aspirated FA24 engine stays as it is. The goal is to improve the car’s response, rev, and handling. Less weight, better balance, more fun.
So if you are waiting for a turbocharged BRZ, this is not it. But if you want a BRZ that is more rewarding to drive, this looks promising.
Car 3: The Affordable Five-Door Hatchback
This is the one that has people talking.
Subaru confirmed that the third car is an affordable, five-door hatchback. It is based on the Performance-B STI Concept that Subaru showed at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show. Fujinuki described it as an “affordable base car,” saying it is being built for car-loving engineers who want a platform to work with.
That is a very specific thing to say. It suggests Subaru is not making a premium hot hatch. They are making a lighter, more basic performance hatchback that tuners and enthusiasts can pick up and build on.
Like the WRX, the hatchback also has a hood scoop in the teaser image, which points to the same turbocharged 2.4-liter boxer engine. Subaru has also confirmed that the hatchback will have “a new personality that is different from the WRX and the BRZ,” so do not expect it to just be a longer WRX. It is its own thing.
What makes this especially interesting is history. Subaru last made a proper WRX hatchback in the VA generation, the car that ended production in 2021. That was over five years ago. Fans have been asking for it back ever since.
The Bigger Picture
While every other car maker talks about electrification and self-driving technology, Subaru chose the opposite approach. That is a deliberate choice and a clear message about who they are building for.
None of these three cars has a confirmed debut date yet. Pricing is unknown. It is also unclear which global markets will receive them, since the announcement was made in Japan. For anyone who still believes driving should actually feel like driving, this is good news.
