Subaru has cleared off all the confusions and destroyed all the rumors suggesting that the automaker will remove the manual transmission from the next-gen Subaru WRX. The Subaru North America CEO, Tom Doll, has confirmed during an interview that the Subaru WRX lineup will have a manual gearbox. He further added that the Forester will no longer feature the manual transmission.
The news regarding Subaru ditching the manual transmission first came up at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show when Subaru U.K. Managing Director Chris Graham stated that due to the addition of automatic emergency braking, the manual stick shift would have to be removed.
However, it’s a sigh of relief for the Subaru fans that their favorite WRX won’t be deprived of the manual transmission. The next-gen Subaru WRX and WRX STI will be powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder engine and may arrive by 2020. Some report claim that a new 2.4-liter flat-four unit with 330 horsepower will also be accessible in both the models.
In terms of style, the new Subaru WRX will borrow design elements from the VIZIV Performance concept which was displayed last year at the Tokyo Motor Show. Underpinning the WRX will be the modular platform also present in the latest Impreza and Forester models.