2010 Subaru Impreza Design Concept

Original name: スバルインプレッサのデザインコンセプト

Subaru Debuts Impreza Design Concept at Los Angeles Auto Show

Design concept hints at future model
Interior integrates latest in infotainment and safety technology
New-generation Subaru Boxer engine and CVT

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 17, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Subaru of America, Inc. today unveiled the Impreza Design Concept, which previews the carmaker's new "Confidence in Motion" design and brand strategy. The Impreza Design Concept will remain on display throughout the show, which runs November 19-28 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The Impreza has been Subaru's global compact car since 1992.

Built to express possible future Subaru design elements, the Impreza Design Concept conveys a sporty and lively "four-door coupe" style. The Impreza Concept combines environmental compatibility and comfortable ride of the Impreza with the trusted performance that Subaru's Symmetrical All Wheel Drive provides. The designers blended two ideas – "dynamic flow and confident stance" – to showcase Subaru's engineering core values of dynamic performance, safety, driving enjoyment and quality. The Impreza Design Concept features a roomy four-passenger interior.

From the front, the Impreza Design Concept is clearly recognizable as a Subaru, with a hexagonal grille with spread wings in the center and hawk eye-style headlights. At the same time, the front view previews a new direction for the brand's design, with the hood, grille and headlights designed to project three-dimensional character.

Fin-shaped fog lamps, which follow the wing motif, emphasize a fresh expression of Subaru identity. The car's low-and-wide stance is meant to convey reliability, security, and safety. The design of the prominent wheel arches echo that message while also emphasizing the vehicle's All-Wheel Drive technology. The new-generation Legacy debuted this design feature.

In profile, the Impreza Design Concept shows a sleek, continuous line from the A-pillar, along the roof and through the C-pillar. The design yields both a roomy cabin and excellent aerodynamic performance. Subaru designers applied simple and clean lines and surfaces rather than complicated forms. This produces a contrast with the powerful fender design and results in a lean side view, accented by satin silver window frames. The wedge-shaped side rear-view cameras sit along the sharp line of the A-pillar.

At the rear, the hexagonal theme repeats with a garnish that radiates outward from the center. The rear lights also follow a sharp-edged theme, and are stretched into the body sides to join the character line along the car's flanks. The taillamp design features a unique layering and gradation to create the impression of depth.

The front and rear bumper corners, shaped in the wind tunnel, contribute to the car's overall aerodynamic efficiency. Diffusers on the underside of the rear bumper and the rear deck emphasize sportiness and also do their part for aerodynamics, contributing to vehicle fuel efficiency. The Sky Silver exterior color underscores the Impreza Design Concept's stylish and dynamic silhouette, and suggests a silver tone to be used on the next generation of Subaru vehicles. The high-luster silver aluminum wheels, with their five-twin-spoke design, convey vehicle lightness and agility. Carbon fins garnish the spokes, aiding brake cooling.

"Dynamic, Enticing, Secure" Interior

For the Impreza Design Concept's interior, the designers followed a theme of "Dynamic, Enticing, Secure." The smooth integration of the instrument panel with the door trim and armrests suggests sporty yet comfortable driving. The roomy platinum-leather four-seat layout envelops occupants. Dark blue piping and double stitching accent the leather. A "layered" approach to color, with the upper part light platinum and the lower part a shade darker, gives the interior a feeling of spaciousness and sophistication.

A large display in the center dash combines functions for navigation, vehicle information and audio. The touch panel technology provides ease of use, seamlessly melding information and entertainment features.

The platinum leather-wrapped steering wheel features D-shaped spokes set off by piano-black center sections. The wheel innovatively incorporates its own touch panels, giving the driver easy access to various vehicle functions.

New Safety and Performance

Subaru's own advanced driving-assist EyeSight system is installed along the front edge of the roof. The images the camera takes can be viewed on a monitor in the center of the gauge cluster, positioned for easy visibility. EyeSight is also networked with the latest in collision-prevention technology, underscoring the safety that customers expect from Subaru.

The combination of the 2.0-liter naturally aspirated Boxer engine with a Lineartronic™ Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) represents Subaru's next-generation powertrain. A 2.5-liter version of this engine powers the 2011 Forester.

source: Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.

Overall Length × Width × Height (mm): 4,520 × 1,820 × 1,430

Wheelbase (mm): 2,640

Engine Type: New Generation Subaru Boxer engine (2.0-liter 4-sylinder Horizontally-Opposed engine)

Tires: 245/40 ZR19

Seating Capacity: 4

“Dynamic flow and Confident stance” are the concepts underlying the exterior design. The car suggests an advanced design for Subaru by using a sporty and lively four-door coupe style. A sleek character line runs along the car from the front end along the roof and on to the rear and symbolizes the new Subaru form. The A-pillar stretching forward and the smoothly flowing C-pillar are important elements that distinguish the styling of the Impreza Concept. They provide both a roomy cabin and also superlative aerodynamic performance. These elements are boldly concentrated in the rear half of the body, and this resulted in a four-door sedan that also presents a stylish and powerful form. The front and rear bumpers incorporate hard-edged corners whose superlative aerodynamic characteristics were confirmed through wind tunnel testing, indicative of a design in which the quest for better aerodynamics meant laboring over even the smallest detail when it came to environmental friendliness. The distinctive wheel arches distinguish this as an All-Wheel drive (AWD) model while emphasizing the image of powerful Subaru driving character and also denoting reliability and safety.

The front design stresses that this car is a Subaru - with a low-and-wide stance that evokes reliability, security, and safety - while also expressing a new Impreza design language. Another feature is the hexagon grille with its central spread wings, serving as the identity for a new generation of Subaru automobiles.

The three-dimensional structure of the front face and engine hood surround a hexagonal form that powerfully increases the presence of this concept car. Seen in combination with the traditional hawk eye-style headlights, this striking, unique design presents a front face instantly recognizable as a Subaru. A fin-shaped fog lamp is also featured in the front bumper. Following on the Subaru wing motif, it gives an even fresher expression of the Subaru identity.

The rear design is harmonious the rest of the car and includes a hexagonal garnish that seems to project outward from the center. The rear lights create a sharp impression, with an edged design that stretches to the body side and joins with the body character line. The interior of the lighting is attractive and unique, and is layered with gradation effects to give a strong impression of depth. For the diffusers on the underside of the rear bumper and the rear deck, Subaru has employed a design that capitalizes on aerodynamic characteristics with satisfying environmental friendliness.

The signature Impreza style is captured in the car’s profile, including the door panels, where Subaru designers have used simple and clean lines and surfaces rather than complicated forms. This contrasts with the powerful fender design and results in a lean side view. The side character lines join up with the rear combination lamps to form a vigorous wedge shape pointed rearwards, showing how vibrant the Impreza Concept is. The satin silver window frames highlight the distinctively wedge-shaped window graphics and produce a side view that is sporty and lean. The side rear-view cameras are likewise wedge-shaped and sit along the sharp line of the A-pillar. The high-luster silver aluminum wheels use a 10-spoke design consisting of five sturdy spokes that evoke the powerful AWD driving experience and five thin spokes that evoke the lightness of the Impreza. Carbon fins garnish the circumference of the spokes, demonstrating their brake-cooling performance. The exterior color is “Sky Silver.” This bluish silver suggests an airplane in flight. It underscores the car’s stylish and dynamic silhouette, and stands as a proposal for a silver to be used on the next generation of Subaru automobiles.

The concept for the interior design is embedded in the words, “Dynamic, Enticing, Secure.” The enjoyment and peace of mind of a Subaru is expressed in an interior space that evokes the dynamic flow shared with the exterior design. This dynamic shape brings together the instrument panel with the door trim and armrests, and speaks to the driving pleasure that is expected from Subaru. Great care was taken with the detail design, and the interior was carefully finished to give a sense of quality. The roomy platinum-leather four-seat layout enfolds occupants. The leather was chosen to fit in with the interior color motif and give passengers the impression of urbanity and coolness. Dark blue piping and double stitching was used in the interior. The model features accented layering through its interior paneling. The upper part is of a light platinum color, while the lower part is shade darker. The combined effect gives the interior a feeling of spaciousness and quality.

A large multifunction display sits in the center panel. This richly appointed interior space combines information with entertainment, to further increase the pleasure of driving. Three different displays - one each for navigation, car audio, and vehicle information are united in the design and touch panel technology expresses ease of use, functionality, and innovation, and also lends a playful touch. For the steering wheel, a sporty, D-shaped spoke-type combines piano-black panels in center sections with a platinum-leather grip. This design adds sportiness and also creates a sense of superior quality. Touch panels have been used on the steering wheel as well and can be operated intuitively to allow stress-free use of various applications. The concept car features Subaru’s own advanced driving assist “EyeSight” system that comes equipped with the latest in collision prevention technology, reinforcing the safe and secure operation customers expect from Subaru. A monitor in the combination meter displays video from the EyeSight Stereo Camera.

The Subaru Impreza Concept is powered by a next-generation Horizontally-Opposed Boxer engine with improved environmental friendliness. The combination of the 2.0-liter naturally-aspirated Boxer engine with a Lineartronic (CVT) represents Subaru’s next-generation powertrain. The Impreza Concept blends environmental friendliness and comfortable ride with the trusted performance that Subaru’s traditional symmetrical AWD provides. The result increases the “enjoyment and peace of mind” concept that lies behind the Subaru Impreza Concept.

The Impreza has come to be known as Subaru’s global compact car since its debut in 1992. Subaru now presents the Impreza Concept as a design concept for a future Impreza that can give anyone a stress-free and pleasurable driving experience while also symbolizing a new design and brand going forward in strength.

source: Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.