Subaru Australia is currently engaged in some arm-twisting to convince its parent that the Levorg needs to join the local product range. The local arm's need for Levorg (pictured) is greater than ever, with Subaru ditching the Liberty wagon for the next model, due to arrive here around the end of this year. There will still be the Outback available for Aussie buyers, but that's a markedly different animal from the Liberty wagon.
"There is no Liberty wagon in the new generation... so if you want a wagon version, it's the Outback basically," Subaru Australia's National Corporate Affairs Manager David Rowley confirmed with motoring.com.au this morning.
According to VFACTS, sales of the Liberty wagon are miniscule when measured against the high-riding Outback – year to date figures are 1325 for the Outback and just 593 for both sedan and wagon Liberty combined.
"Because Outback had that bit of a refresh last year – with the reintroduction of panelled lower quarters just to differentiate it a little more – that's given it a bit of a kick along as well," Rowley explained.
Subaru Australia still wants a conventional wagon of sorts for its local range, despite the undeniable popularity of the Outback – a wagon in SUV clothing. Not only is the Levorg not an SUV, it's also sized right to fill the gap between Impreza and the steadily growing Liberty. It has real potential in the local market, although Subaru intended that the car would only ever be a Japanese domestic market model – but then Subaru Australia learned about it. It's now very much on the agenda for Australia, as Rowley acknowledged, although progress is slow.
"No developments there yet... I think Nick [Senior, Subaru Australia MD] at the last launch said [he] was talking to Japan about a business case – but there's still no word as to if and when that might happen," Rowley said.
"Nick certainly expressed an interest, but [we're] yet to have any definitive response."
When the new Liberty and Outback models arrive here they will introduce the latest iteration of the company's EyeSight safety technology, Rowley confirmed. In Japan, the latest generation of EyeSight is to be introduced next month with the WRX S4 – a "WRX-based car" for Japan only that was teased over the weekend. It will be a variant of the latest WRX, with S4 representing four different design philosophies, all starting with S: Sports performance, Safety performance, Smart driving and Sophisticated feel. Whatever form the WRX S4 will take in Japan, we definitely will not see it in Australia.
"Purely a Japan domestic market initiative... no overseas markets," Rowley strenuously declared.