STI and Subaru have had enormous success in rallying, and I believe that, today, we are still bearing the fruits of that success. Also, I must admit that the development of a new WRC would cost a fortune, and on top of that we’ve decided to really focus on circuit racing with Super GT and 24 Hours Nürburgring, which is a great challenge for us. However, that doesn’t mean that Subaru will never return to rally, who knows what the future holds.
The motto for STI and Subaru is ‘proud of boxer’. What does the boxer engine mean for Subaru?
That is very easy to answer. The boxer engine is part of the Subaru identity; or to put it more strongly, it’s the spirit of our brand. The engine is definitely not perfect- in fact, it’s not easy to work on or to maintain. But because of its construction, you can mount it really low in the engine bay, which benefits the balance enormously. Before I became CEO of STI, I was an engine engineer, so I have a special affinity with this engine.