Detroit show: Subaru WRX STi leaks

IMAGES of Subaru's eagerly awaited WRX STi have leaked online ahead of the hot sedan's world premiere in Detroit next week.

Arriving hot on the heels of its new-gen WRX little cousin, which appeared concurrently in LA and Tokyo last November, the hardcore STi flaunts the iconic World Rally Blue paint and associated gold wheels made famous by earlier iterations.

The standard version of Subaru’s hot sedan is powered by the customary (but all-new) turbocharged 2.0-litre flat-four engine, but the STi version you see here will likely wring its bigger dose of power from a tweaked and capacity-increased version of this same boxer unit.

That extra half a litre of capacity could boost the standard trim 199kW/343Nm output to a more full-fat figure, circa 221kW/407Nm of the outgoing STi version.

As with previous STi versions of the WRX, the latest hotted-up Rex is likely to come with other sporty additions, which could include suspension, transmission and brake revisions, STi interior highlights and fattened bodywork with extra aerodynamics.

When the standard WRX was unveiled last November it arrived in a somewhat understated silver, while earlier teaser shots had previously depicted the forthcoming Subaru in an unfamiliar shade of red.

The STi will arrive a few months after the regular WRX hits Australian showrooms in March, likely in July.