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Automotive April Fools' joke roundup [w/videos]

Happy April, everyone. And we all know what this first day of the month means: April Fools' Day. Today is a national holiday for pranksters with the Internet acting as a serious enabler, and it's always fun to see what kind of vivid imaginations exist out there in the automotive world. The abundance of fake news gets a little old as the day rolls on, but we did manage to get in a few chuckles thanks to a handful of major automakers and automotive news outlets that got into the pranking spirit this year
Some of our favorites this year includes Subaru showing what happens when you combine a bunch of rumors, a Corvette some may have already thought was a joke or Honda providing some in-car innovation circa the late 1980s. Honestly, we're still waiting for official confirmation from Mitsubishi that the recently introduced 2014 Mirage is an elaborate April Fools' joke using a failed design intended for the 1995 Geo Metro. We dug up as much "official" OEM foolishness we could find, as well as some of our other favorites, and posted them all below.

Subaru Levorg 'prototype' revealed, looking pretty production-ready

The next-generation Subaru Levorg, better known as the WRX wagon the company has so far refused to give the U.S., has been revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show. It's technically called a "prototype," but it's clear that this is basically the production model. In fact, Subaru says production for it begins in the second half of next year. Many enthusiasts pine for the Levorg because it is a high-performance wagon that we don't get, but even if you don't care, there is reason to pay attention to this car. As the current version is basically a WRX, this is giving us our first look at the next generation of that car. Styling-wise, the new Levorg is heavily inspired by the Viziv Performance and Viziv Tourer concepts. It has a wide hexagonal grille with boomerang-shaped headlights surrounding it. The wheel arches have a strong trapezoidal shape, and there are sharp creases throughout. The overall profile of the car is still very similar to the current Levorg and WRX. Subaru has been light on the details for the rest of the car. The base engine will no longer be a turbocharged 1.6-liter, but rather a turbocharged 1.8-liter. While not announced, we wouldn't be surprised if it gets an upgraded turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, which will probably be shared with the WRX. All Levorgs will likely continue to only have a CVT. Subaru also mentions that it will have an updated version of EyeSight with stereo cameras, four radar sensors and high-resolution mapping that will reduce cruise control speeds for curves, and allow for hands-free gridlock driving. We wouldn't expect the Levorg to come to America, but the updated EyeSight is probably a shoo-in for future models.

Subaru STI Performance Concept previews a bright BRZ future [w/video]

Subaru unveiled its STI Performance Concept car today at the New York Auto Show, a BRZ-based corner carver that says as much about the future of STI in America as it does about the future of the BRZ. And while this marks the world's first official look at the STI concept, Subaru gave me a preview of the car, and a long description of its significance, on a trip to Japan last month. The Performance Concept sends a tangible message about the motorsports heritage and engineering capability of Subaru Tecnica International. STI started life as the motorsports arm of Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries. Appropriately, the concept car uses a racing powerplant. Under the hood is the same turbocharged, 2.0-liter boxer-four that powers the BRZ GT300 from Japan's Super GT series, estimated at around 300 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque. But the STI concept is more like the ultimate road version of the BRZ instead of a recapitulation of an existing racecar. Chassis, suspension and braking components can all be found on the Japanese Domestic Market's road-going BRZ tS, for instance. Subaru invited me to drive the tS on that same trip, so stay tuned for a report on that experience later this week. It will pain Subaru fans to hear that this concept is not a defacto preview of a forthcoming turbocharged BRZ STI, at least not in the immediate future. STI has been charged with expanding its presence and reach in the North American market, but the process is going to roll out slowly without jumping straight to a fully realized production vehicle. Stage one of the STI expansion will be a consolidation of parts and aftermarket support in the US. Subaru has offered a pastiche of performance products through its dealerships up to today, including the US-only Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT) parts. In the near term, the company will phase out SPT in favor of STI parts and accessories, meaning you'll be able to purchase a lot of the stuff that the Japanese market has today. And we're talking about parts that actually impact performance, not just STI-badged shift-lever knobs or gas caps. The STI Performance Concept does show that Subaru sees a future for its rear-drive coupe in the American market, and that it wants to cater to enthusiasts. Stage two, which will happen in roughly the next year and a half, is to bring an STI-tuned version of the BRZ to the US, not unlike the JDM BRZ tS.