Subaru Impreza Hybrid due in 2012

Several months ago, Ikuo Mori, president of Subaru, declared that the company will introduce a new hybrid vehicle in 2012.

At first, we suspected that the Legacy would be the car chosen to accomplish this task, but insiders say that the chassis of the Legacy isn’t suited for a hybrid powerplant; therefore Subaru engineers are looking at the Impreza. An all-new Impreza is due to arrive in the fall of 2012, and our sources in Japan say there’s a high possibility that a hybrid version will be included in the lineup mix.

If so, you can expect a pretty powerful setup, perhaps mating the Japan car’s current 2.0-liter flat-4 with an electric motor. And since U.S.-spec Imprezas are equipped with a 2.5-liter flat-4, we may get a more powerful setup.

It’s still early to say now, but a powerful awd hybrid sports hatchback is right up our alley when it comes to being green.

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