US Gets New 3-Row Crossover, Australia Gets Hot STI Hatch

The U.S. gets the new Subaru 3-Row crossover, Australia gets the Levorg STI. Why can’t we have both?

A new Subaru 3-Row crossover is coming to the U.S. in 2018. North Americans will be the only one who gets the new 7-seater. Australia and Europe will get left out of this vehicle as it’s only for U.S. buyers. It will be designed for consumers here and built at the newly-expanded plant in Lafayette, Indiana. Production will begin on the new 3-Row crossover in 2018. Australia and Europe get something smaller and sportier from Subaru Tecnica International (STI).

Australia and Europe get the Levorg STI

What Europe and Australia will get is the new Levorg hot hatch from Subaru. Unfortunately, Americans can only look and not touch. After Subaru did away with the WRX STI 5-Door, there has been a void left with no performance hatch. Our guess is, Subaru and STI will bring back a WRX/STI hatchback with the new-generation model sometime in 2018.

Subaru is a small automaker by global standards and they only have so many resources to go around. While performance enthusiasts want a hot hatchback model, Subaru has chosen to keep the Levorg in Japan, Europe and Australia. U.S. buyers will have to wait for a WRX/STI 5-Door if they want the extra utility. American are in love with larger vehicles. Subaru knows what will sell here and a larger SUV is coming soon.

PAGE 2: What will Subaru name their new 3-Row crossover?

Americans will be seeing the new Subaru 3-Row crossover, rumored to be called, Subaru Ascent 7, when it arrives in showrooms in 2018. It will come with the new Subaru Global Platform and Subaru’s new design language seen on the 2017 Impreza compact. Subaru’s new Ascent 7 will take on rivals like the Toyota Highlander, Nissan Pathfinder, Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe. Subaru is expecting the new 7-seater to be a big hit with American buyers. Stay tuned.

Source: Subaru AU

Image source: Subaru