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2018 Crosstrek propels Subaru to best-ever April sales

April was a dismal month for most automakers, with sales declines that ranged from 4.7 percent for Ford to a whopping 28 percent for Nissan. So here comes mighty little Subaru, which claimed the month as the best April in its history. The gain is entirely attributable to the Crosstrek, which is all-new for 2018. Sales of the compact, raised crossover climbed almost 70 percent for the month to 12,266. Year to date, Subaru has sold 45,728 Crosstreks, an increase of 66.6 percent. That helped push Subaru's total U.S. sales to 53,170 in April and 202,873 for the first four months of 2018, increases of 1.5 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively. It also marks 77 consecutive months of yearly month-over-month growth for Subaru. All other models saw declining sales for April, led by the Impreza, which was down 27.4 percent. "Our customers' interest in the Crosstrek continues to increase every month," Jeff Walters, senior vice president of sales, said in a statement. "We're now looking forward to the start of production later this month of the all-new Subaru Ascent at our plant in Indiana." The 2018 version of the Crosstrek went on sale last August featuring a new 2.0-liter flat-four engine, stiff new chassis, more ground clearance and the EyeSight suite of safety technologies, among other changes. But the Crosstrek has been on a hot streak for a few years now, with sales up 15.1 percent in 2017 and 6.7 percent in 2016. The Crosstrek is Subaru's third top-selling model behind the Forester and Outback. Subaru spokesman Dominick Infante says the company did not see the sales trail-off last year that's typical of a vehicle at the end of its lifecycle with the Crosstrek. "It was essentially a straight line going up, and it was limited by production," he said. The difference, he said, is that Subaru is now able to make more of them. The company last year shifted production of the Impreza to its plant in Lafayette, Ind., to free up capacity to build more Crosstreks at its plant in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, which underwent a major retooling. The Indiana plant now builds the Impreza, Legacy and Outback after the expiration of a contract in 2016 with Toyota to build 100,000 Camry sedans annually. Production of the new three-row Ascent crossover will start in Indiana in May, following a $140 million expansion at the plant, according to Automotive News. The vehicle is due in showrooms in June, Infante said, with sales of 60,000 expected in the first year.

Japan is the only country to get this WRX S4 tS

Before the Impreza switches to a new platform, Subaru is wringing more limited editions out of the old one. The most recent, the Subaru WRX S4 tS, is a Japan-only special that is based off of the WRX S4 model released a few years ago. Underneath the hood, the WRX S4 tS gets the same modified 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four from the WRX S4 that generates 296 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The modified engine produces 28 horsepower and 37 pound-feet of torque more than the standard WRX, and is only five horsepower off the turbocharged 2.5-liter Boxer engine in the WRX STI, while making more torque. The handling has been improved thanks to a similar setup to the one on the WRX STI S207, another Japan-only model released last year, that features adjustable DampMatic II front suspension from Bilstein, along with other goodies. The exterior gets 19-inch BBS forged aluminum wheels, red pinstripes on the front grille and rear bumper, and a large front spoiler. On the inside, the WRX S4 tS benefits from Recaro bucket seats and a luminescent speedometer. The sedan is also equipped with Subaru's advanced safety features in the form of EyeSight. Japanese enthusiasts can also choose a more hardcore option with the NBR Challenge Package that commemorates the automaker's victories in the SP3T class of the Nurbrugring 24 Hours in 2015 and 2016. The sportier model gets 19-inch wheels from BBS, a carbon-fiber rear wing, special badging, and a suede-lined steering wheel on the inside. We reached out to Subaru to see if the vehicle would be sold in the US, but the spokesperson refused to comment. With the WRX S4 and the S207 being Japan-only models, we doubt the new limited edition WRX S4 tS would be offered outside of Japan. Related Video:

Subaru's BRZ STI Sport Concept is not quite what we've been waiting for

Subaru announced its lineup for the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon, and at the tippy top is yet another STI-badged BRZ concept car. But unlike the Performance Concept from the 2015 New York Auto Show, the new BRZ STI Sport Concept isn't so extreme. While it's hard to predict what this car means based on the limited information Subaru has released, we can get an idea of where the company is going by looking at its last STI Sport production model – the not-for-US Levorg. Essentially, the BRZ STI Sport Concept sounds like a lukewarm example of the lovable rear-driver, taking parts of the tS driving experience and marrying it with some interior and exterior enhancements. We can see those latter elements in the sole image the company released – the silver concept car gets a fresh body kit that's less aggressive than 2015's Performance Concept. The sole exterior image shows a subtle chin spoiler and a more prominent upgrade to the side sill. Smaller changes include STI badges in the lower grille and side grilles. In the cabin, Subaru apparently added dark red upholstery. All of this gels with the aesthetic the Levorg pioneered. On the performance front, we see what look like Brembo-branded red brake calipers, but that's about as certain as we can get with mechanical upgrades. What we can't see are likely modest performance tweaks, focusing on the suspension. The Levorg STI Sport, for example, got adjustable Bilstein dampers, firmer springs, and a tweaked power steering system. A similar STI Sport concept, based on the WRX S4, will share the Tokyo show stand with the BRZ. Subaru's racing entries in Super GT, Japan Rally, and the 24 Hours of Nurburgring will also go on display. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.