2011 Subaru Impreza Wrx Sedan. 20,011 Miles Spark Silver. 5 Speed Manual. Nice! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Next Subaru WRX and STI to go sedan only; reveal headed for LA

After a serious bit of teasing at the 2013 New York Auto Show, Subaru might be finally preparing to pull the sheets off of the production versions of the new WRX and STI. The venue, according to Automotive News, will be the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Besides that tasty bit of info, AN has a number of other interesting ideas about the 2015 WRX.
If you've been a fan of the five-door bodystyle, don't read this - the next WRX and STI will reportedly go four-door only. We've already seen the latter's whopping great wing, a tradition we're happy to see soldering on for next-gen car. According to the AN report, power figures to be around 265 horsepower from a 2.5-liter, turbocharged, flat-four engine.
Los Angeles is still quite far off, so expect to hear more rumblings about a production WRX or STI in the coming weeks. Take a look above for our most recent batch of spy photos, and then hop down below for some images of the stunning WRX Concept that was shown at New York.

2014 Subaru WRX and STI pricing announced

As the sun prepares to set on the third-generation Subaru WRX, Subaru has released the pricing for the 2014 WRX and WRX STI. With redesigned versions of both cars due out next year, prices for the current car have risen by just $200 across the entire 2014 lineup resulting in new starting MSRPs of $25,995 for the WRX and $34,495 for the more powerful WRX STI (*not including destination).
The destination charge has also crept up for the 2014 WRX and WRX STI models climbing slightly from $770 to $795. A final pricing adjustment for this bodystyle's send-off year is that the optional navigation system went from $1,000 in 2013 up to $1,100 for 2014. Scroll down for the full model pricing breakdown, and keep a lookout for the all-new 2015 WRX and WRX STI, which we'd expect to see in production form in the coming months.
*Note: WRX STI (above) and WRX (below) are pictured here in the 2013 Special Edition trim.

LA Design Challenge invokes biology for 2025 concepts [w/poll]

Participants in the annual LA Design Challenge always manage to come up with edgy, wacky designs for future vehicles, but with a theme of "Biomimicry and Mobility: 2025" this year's crop of cars might be the quirkiest we've ever seen. As usual, automotive designers from around the world participated in this year's competition, and all the designs will all be unveiled next week during the LA Auto Show with a winner being announced on November 21.
Chinese automakers made a strong showing with Qoros, SAIC Motor, JAC Motors (the company responsible for the Ford F-150 clone) and Changfeng all bringing interesting takes on the biology, human intelligence and sustainability theme. One of the more innovative ideas among these automakers is the Qoros Silk Road System allows autonomous vehicles to drive in packs similar to how ants travel. Speaking of ants, the SAIC Motor Mobiliant (shown above) gets its design from the shape of an ant's body, and, like the insect, it can climb building acting as a personal elevator as well. The JAC Motors design also merges vehicle and building design, while the Changfeng LaBrea inspired by the design of muscle fibers.
Other entrants include Subaru and US-based design teams for BMW, Toyota and Mazda. BMW's duo of concepts mimic plant and animal life. The LA Subways concept acts as a submersible, single-person vehicle to take advantage of the LA river, with a shape similar to an Ocean Sunfish. The Sustainable Efficient Exploratory Device (SEED) imitates the shape of a seed pod, and uses propulsion methods inspired by a shark, dragonfly and a water bug. Mazda's Auto Adapt might be the most car-like concept of the bunch, while the Subaru Suba-Roo and the Calty-designed, Toyota e-grus are the most mind-blowingly awesome.