• 1,000 to be offered, all painted WR Blue Pearl

• Special cabin trim with blue highlights

• Built on standard, lightest STI model

• Gold-painted BBS® forged alloy wheels

• STI Short-Throw Shifter

• Keyless Access & Start

DETROIT - January 14, 2014 - Subaru of America, Inc. will usher in the new-generation 2015 WRX STI by offering the STI Launch Edition, designed to appeal especially to loyalists who have made the STI a high-performance icon. Exclusive features amplify the special nature of the STI within the performance-car community. Subaru will offer 1,000 of these models in North America.

All 1,000 of the WRX STI Launch Edition models will be painted WR Blue Pearl and come equipped with gold-painted 18-inch BBS® alloy wheels, an iconic color combination long associated with Subaru competition cars. As on all 2015 WRX STI models, the wheels carry 245/40R18 summer performance tires.

Built on the standard and lightest WRX STI model, the STI Launch Edition is exclusively equipped with special interior colors and trim and gets a standard STI Short-Throw Shifter for the 6-speed manual transmission. The Keyless Access & Start system, which is offered as an option on WRX STI Premium and Limited models, is included as standard with the STI Launch Edition.

Powered by a 305-horsepower 2.5-liter turbocharged BOXER engine, the 2015 WRX STI debuts a new four-door wide-body design, built on a stiffer chassis for even greater handling agility and precision. New for the 2015 WRX STI, Active Torque Vectoring joins the model’s arsenal of proven advanced dynamic handling technologies that includes Multi-Mode Driver Controlled Center Differential (DCCD) Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, Multi-Mode Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC), SI-DRIVE powertrain control system and a Brembo® Performance Brake System with Super Sport ABS.

Exclusive STI Cabin Design

The Subaru competition heritage carries into the roomier cabin of the 2015 WRX STI model, which features a new flat-bottom steering wheel and whiplash-reducing performance-design front seats with height and tilt-adjustable head restraints. The STI Launch Edition is distinguished by an exclusive cabin design treatment.

The leather bolsters for the Alcantara-covered seats are blue and black with black stitching rather than the red and black with red stitching in other STI models. The door trim panels are blue leather with black stitching, and the Alcantara-covered center console storage box lid features black stitching. Blue trim accents the carpeted floor mats that carry the STI logo.

Best-Equipped WRX STI Ever

The 2015 WRX STI is the best-equipped version of this high-performance model ever. Standard features include LED low-beam headlights, dual-zone automatic climate control, the All-Weather Package (dual-mode heated front seats, heated exterior mirrors and windshield wiper de-icer) and a tilt/telescoping steering wheel with switches for audio and Bluetooth® control.

The new standard audio system combines AM/FM stereo with HD Radio®, a single-disc in-dash CD player, 6 speakers, MP3/WMA capability, Radio Data Broadcast System (RDBS), Bluetooth hands-free calling and audio streaming, iPod® control capability, iTunes® Tagging, SiriusXM® Satellite Radio (subscription required), USB port and a 3.5mm auxiliary audio input jack. Numerous compartments located in and around the center console hold phones, USB drives and MP3 players.

A new multi-information central display with 4.3-in. LCD screen provides a multitude of vehicle system functions, including a standard rear camera display, a boost gauge display, audio (on non-navigation models), Bluetooth® and climate control settings, and a VDC screen showing traction control operation. The display can also provide a vehicle self-check and maintenance reminder.

Subaru Safety

Subaru’s renowned safety package uses the brand’s proven Ring-shaped Reinforcement Frame body structure, which has been shown to excel in the new small overlap test by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). In the cabin, a driver’s knee airbag is added to the roster of safety features that includes front side pelvis/torso airbags and side curtain airbags that offer front and rear outboard seat coverage.

Subaru produces a full line of all-wheel drive sedans, crossovers and SUVs, along with the rear-wheel drive BRZ sports car.

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 600 dealers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.

For press release, click here.