Currently reading: Subaru ends production of BRZ sports car
Eight-year-old coupe and its Toyota sibling bow out to make way for 252bhp successor

Subaru has announced that it is no longer taking orders for its Subaru BRZ sports coupé, more than eight years after production began. 

A message on the manufacturer's Japanese website reads: "We have finished accepting orders for build-to-order manufacturing of the models listed. Orders can only be accepted from stock at retailers." This means that the model can only be bought new while stocks last at dealerships,and buyers won't be able to specially configure their car. 

The announcement is expected to mean that the near-identical Toyota GT86, which is built on the same production line at Subaru's factory in Gunma, Japan, has also ceased production. It remains available to order, however, on Toyota's Japanese website. 

A replacement for the two models is due to be unveiled next year in line with the two brands extending their development partnership. It's set to pack 252bhp from a 2.4-litre turbocharged flat-four engine used by Subaru in the US market.

Toyota will sell the new sports car alongside the GR Supra as the GR86, while the name of the Subaru version - which can be expected to launch simultaneously - isn't yet known. 

The duo will sit atop an all-new platform, replacing the Subaru-developed underpinnings of the BRZ and GT86. Sources suggest Toyota's TNGA architecture will be used, because it can be adapted to suit a rear-wheel-drive powertrain, unlike Subaru's current hardware. 

As well as a significant styling refresh, the two firms are likely to address criticism of the current cars' cabins with a substantial interior overhaul. Upgrades for the infotainment system and materials used can be expected, while it's possible that the rear leg room will be extended to improve practicality. 

Read more

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Subaru BRZ long-term test review: six months with a cut-price sports car​

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Felix Page
Title: News and features editor

Felix is Autocar's news editor, responsible for leading the brand's agenda-shaping coverage across all facets of the global automotive industry - both in print and online.

He has interviewed the most powerful and widely respected people in motoring, covered the reveals and launches of today's most important cars, and broken some of the biggest automotive stories of the last few years. 

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Zeddy 31 July 2020

I would argue that they were

I would argue that they were equipped for daily use.
It was that torque dip that was its undoing.
That and hard slippery tyres that were dangerous in winter.
eseaton 30 July 2020

These cars really aren't

These cars really aren't about 'infotainment' systems that can't do what any smartphone can already do, and much better.

Nor are they about soft plastics.

If they are, they are pointless and doomed.

Sporky McGuffin 31 July 2020

eseaton wrote:

eseaton wrote:

These cars really aren't about 'infotainment' systems that can't do what any smartphone can already do, and much better. Nor are they about soft plastics. If they are, they are pointless and doomed.

Without those things they just won't sell in sufficient quantity to be viable though - as we've seen. Same with Lotus and Caterham. The hardcore sports car market isn't big enough to support manufacturers doing a half-arsed job.

The Boxter/Cayman and the MX5 sell far more because as well as being decent to drive, they're also suitably equipped for daily use.

scrap 30 July 2020

Noooo!

Noooo!

I was thinking about the BRZ just earlier today, wondering about browsing the classifieds. A future classic.

nimmler 30 July 2020

RIP pure sports cars that do not cost insane amounts

Sad to see it go but it suffered from price creep. Cars originally sold for £21k now £32 which is insane when you car buy a 370z right now for £30k and that's also near the end of its production run.

I fear the day when pure sports cars under 30k do not exist, no more EVOs no WRX , Elise is a £41k base , a110 is 718 money, TT is in the mid 30's..