Subaru WRX 2014 Concept revealed at the New York Auto Show

Subaru is showing off its spanking-new Subaru WRX Concept at the 2013 New York International Auto Show. And it looks nothing like the Impreza it’s supposed to be based on.

The concept features a new paint scheme, a combination of “WR Blue Pearl III” and fluorescent yellow, the latter is used to highlight the WRX badge on the front grille, the brake calipers and the exhaust tips.

The concept car’s roof is made entirely of carbon-fibre, which lowers centre of gravity and reduces weight. Up front, you have a large hexagonal grill with a three-dimensional mesh pattern, new hawk-eye headlights and a lower fascia with sculpted air intakes incorporated to improve engine breathing, cooling and downforce. You also have a large-dimension hood scoop and a power bulge to serve the new turbocharged engine and intercooler better.

The rear resonates the hexagonal design from the front grille and features a curved trunk lid that doubles as a rear spoiler, replacing the standard-issue wing. The wide rear bumper and the aggressive rear diffuser, besides adding aesthetic appeal, improves the vehicle’s air-cheating properties. It also has quad-tailpipes that hint at big power, through which the fumes from the force-fed engine will exit.

Filling those wheel arches are BBS “RI-D” one-piece forged “duralumin” wheels wrapped in 245/40ZR20 Dunlop tyres with a semi-slick tread pattern. The only other thing that Subaru was very specific about were the dimensions, the concept being longer, wider and lower than the Impreza, with a longer wheelbase.

No announcements have been made on the production plans of this WRX Concept yet, but we expect many of these design elements to filter down to their vehicles.

Update: After a week, the 2014 Subaru WRX STI prototype was spotted testing in Europe, and contrary to this misleading concept, it looks exactly like a body-kitted Impreza.