{"id":28919,"date":"2022-03-21T12:18:19","date_gmt":"2022-03-21T16:18:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=28919"},"modified":"2022-03-21T12:18:19","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T16:18:19","slug":"payne-auto-performance-icons-roll-toward-electric-speed-bump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2022\/03\/payne-auto-performance-icons-roll-toward-electric-speed-bump","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Auto performance icons roll toward electric speed bump"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now everyone is paying attention.<\/p>\n

Auto brands have largely teased their electric ambitions with new halo nameplates \u2014 the Cadillac Lyriq, Ford Mustang Mach-E, BMW iX \u2014 aimed at niche, green customers. But other brands are taking big risks by converting gas-powered halo models to electrification. The latest bombshell came from Subaru last week when the automaker\u00a0announced it will not make its\u00a0highly-anticipated WRX STI performance icon\u00a0on its current\u00a0Global Platform\u00a0\u2014 saying it has been delayed for a future, likely-electrified platform.<\/p>\n

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The news about the WRX STI, which has defined Subaru\u2019s off-road rally spirit as an all-wheel-drive, high-wing, high-horsepower hellion, comes on top of news that Dodge and Porsche will be going all-electric with their next-generation Challenger and Cayman sports cars, respectively. The moves risk alienating loyal owner bases that have\u00a0prized roaring, internal-combustion V-8 and flat-6 engines.<\/p>\n

\u201cSubaru is focused on how our future performance cars should evolve to meet the needs of the changing marketplace and the regulations and requirements for greenhouse gasses,\u201d the company said in a\u00a0brief\u00a0statement<\/a>. \u201cAs part of that effort, Subaru is exploring opportunities for the next generation WRX STI, including electrification. In the meantime, a next generation internal combustion engine WRX STI will not be produced.\u201d<\/p>\n

The news was met with a storm of protest from customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave no desire for an EV STI,\u201d said “STIag,” a longtime owner, in a typical post on IW STI\u00a0Forum, a popular website dedicated to Subaru enthusiasts. \u201cThe niche of the STI is the culture, the personalization, the love. Sad day. RIP STI.\u201d<\/p>\n

Subaru\u2019s news comes in the wake of Dodge\u2019s announcement at the November Los Angeles Auto Show that it is ending production next year of its legendary, V8-powered Hellcat Challenger and Charger amid a transition to\u00a0electrified EV, hybrid\u00a0and plug-in drivetrains. The supercharged, 700-plus horsepower muscle cars have defined the brand in recent years, driving a boom in Dodge sales as Hellcat V-8s are stuffed into everything from two-door coupes to three-row SUVs.<\/p>\n

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Porsche\u2019s mid-engine Boxster convertible and Cayman sports cars are also going all-electric,\u00a0according to enthusiast publication\u00a0Car and Driver.<\/a>\u00a0While Porsche has refused comment on the report, the magazine writes that the Boxster\/Cayman design \u201cwas previewed by the Mission R concept car at the 2021 Munich auto show.\u201d Porsche has touted the\u00a0battery-powered Mission R as a prototype for a\u00a0coming race\u00a0program.<\/p>\n

Cayman\/Boxster sales have declined in the U.S. since 2016, when Porsche last bowed to emissions regulations by replacing its screaming flat-6 with a less-emotional turbo-4 cylinder.<\/p>\n

Other manufacturers have been less eager to alter icons. Nissan, for example, is bringing to market an all-new\u00a0twin-turbo V-6 Nissan Z for 2023, and Corvette\u2019s coming\u00a0Z06 performance model will boast a record\u00a0670 horsepower for a normally-aspirated gas engine.<\/p>\n

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Brands are taking a fresh look at their lineups in the face of historic efforts by governments \u2014 including in the U.S. \u2014 to dictate which drivetrains automakers use. Automakers have in the past produced a variety of alternatives to mainstay gas engines to balance regulations and consumer demand:\u00a0diesel, hybrid, ethanol. Governments are now demanding zero-emission vehicles, narrowing the choice to electric and hydrogen power.<\/p>\n