LA show: Subaru shows second Impreza concept

SUBARU will unveil a second Impreza concept at the Los Angeles motor show this month, with a sedan following the hatchback version that broke cover at the Tokyo show last month.

The Japanese car-maker is keeping up the hype in the run up to its official reveal with a single shady profile image, which duplicates the same flowing profile of the Tokyo show-car – plus a boot.

No details accompany the single picture but, when speaking to GoAuto at the Tokyo motor show in October, Subaru design department general manager Mamoru Ishii said the next-generation Impreza hatch would closely resemble the concept.

By that logic, the LA show car is likely to offer a glimpse at how the fifth-generation production Impreza sedan will look when it launches globally during 2017.

The low-lit profile shot reveals the same white headlight accents, deeply scalloped flanks and flush-handled doors that featured on the Tokyo hatchback concept, but adds a subtle duck-tail spoiler atop the longer back end.

As previously reported, Subaru will be targeting a younger audience who put a greater importance on sportiness with the next Impreza, and with a shared sharper look, the sedan will join forces with the hatchback.

With its Tokyo unveiling, Subaru confirmed that the hatchback measured slightly shorter than the current model at 4400mm, but with its boosted boot, the sedan is likely to grow in length.

If it shares all other dimensions with the hatch, the sedan will measure 1440mm high, 1880mm wide with a 2670mm wheelbase – a touch longer than the current car.

In its current form, local sales of the Impreza have slowed compared with the same point last year, with 550 examples finding Australian homes to the end of October versus 894 in 2014.