2015 Subaru WRX celebrates important milestone in Australia

The Subaru WRX first arrived in Australia in 1994 and the new performance car from Subaru arrived with little fanfare. Twenty years later, the all-new-generation 2015 Subaru WRX arrives as a very popular model down under and has a cult-like following. After its arrival in 1994, The Subaru WRX, which has become affectionately known as the “Rex”, quickly established a following, particularly from automotive publications who appreciated its performance and value.

The WRX that started as a quirky niche performance car that was based on the modest-selling Impreza, has evolved into a popular car among performance enthusiasts in Australia. The Rex has come a long way since its early beginnings. Today, there are a number of clubs across Australia devoted to the WRX.

By 1999, the Subaru WRX was more popular than ever, and the affordable – turbocharged performance car set a record with 3776 WRXs being sold that year. Subaru estimates it will sell 150 new-generation WRX’s per month in Australia this year. Subaru says it is unlikely to eclipse those sales levels anytime soon.

Australia is the third biggest market worldwide for WRX and Subaru established it as a true performance car after competing in World Rally racing. It has a massive appeal in the Australian market in the “pocket-rocket category” that Subaru established in the 90s. Next month, Subaru gets ready to launch the fourth-generation 2015 Subaru WRX.

The new 2015 Subaru WRX will go on sale in Australia in April with a starting price of $38,990. Subaru claims it’s the lowest priced WRX to ever grace Australian showrooms. WRX was released in March 1994 at a price of $39,990, the equivalent of $66,640 today, says Subaru.

And WRX has evolved with its rally-bred genealogy that makes the new model the best-ever, with more power, it’s more fuel-efficient, more refined, better equipped, roomier, safer and better handling than the outgoing model.

Subaru Australia Managing Director, Nick Senior, said: “Twenty years ago this month, we introduced the WRX. “Since then it has become an iconic name in Australian motoring, synonymous with value for money and a vehicle that has unquestioned performance credentials, matched with reliability that competitors envy.

The 2015 WRX gets new technologies like the introduction of the Sport Lineartronic CVT. WRX buyers now have the choice of the six-speed manual or the sport CVT. Although WRX is no longer available as a hatchback, the sedan-only WRX’s sub-$39,000 starting price sees it undercut key performance small-car rivals like the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart and Golf GTI in Australia. The new Subaru is $700 more expensive than Ford’s Focus ST.
 
2015 WRX Pricing:
2015 Subaru WRX manual $38,990
2015 Subaru WRX Lineartronic CVT $40,990
2015 Subaru WRX Premium manual $43,990
2015 SubaruWRX Premium Lineartronic CVT $45,990
 
The all-new 2015 Subaru WRX which goes on sale in April is getting ready to make its launch in Australia, and Rex is celebrating its 20th anniversary in the country down under.

Other 2015 Subaru WRX stories of interest.

• 2015 Subaru WRX coming to Australia with rich WRC history
• 2015 Subaru WRX earns a big 5 stars from ANCAP