Fuji Heavy unveils new Impreza sedan/hatchback

Fuji Heavy Industries has unveiled the new Impreza which will go on sale in the fall. The company applied the newly-developed "SGP (Subaru Global Platform)" to the new Impreza to improve stability and collision safety.

Also, to further enhance safety, Fuji Heavy employed (1) the "Eyesight ver.3" driving support system using a stereo camera and (2) "pedestrian protection airbag" as standard features. This is the first time that an airbag for protecting the heads of pedestrians has been employed in Japan.

For its power train, the new Impreza is equipped with a 2.0L horizontally-opposed four-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine called "FB20 Type." The type of the engine is the same as that of the engine employed for the existing Impreza, but the new engine is different in that it is a direct-injection engine.

The transmission of the new Impreza is a CVT (continuously variable transmission). The maximum output of the engine is 113kW. Fuji Heavy has not yet disclosed the maximum torque or the fuel efficiency under the JC08 test mode.

The new vehicle is the fifth-generation Impreza and available as a sedan and hatchback. Because of the employment of the SGP, the new Impreza is larger than the current model. The dimensions and wheelbase of the hatchback are 4,460 (L) x 1,775 (W) x 1,480mm (H) and 2,670mm, which are respectively 40mm, 35mm, 10mm and 25mm longer than those of the current model.

FHI considers the lower part of the body (underbody) as a "platform." The current platform's usage ratio of 440MPa-or-stronger high-tensile steel plate is 55%, but the company increased it to 63% for the SGP. The entire white body's usage ratio (including the upper body) increased from 45% to 55%.

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