2022 Subaru STI E-RA Concept

The STI E-RA Concept explored independent four-wheel electric control in a purpose-built motorsport study. Revealed in January 2022, it combined four motors and a stated 800 kW maximum system output with a Nürburgring time-attack ambition that must remain labelled as a target.

The physical concept was revealed in 2022

Subaru and STI presented E-RA at Tokyo Auto Salon on January 14, 2022. STI explains the name as Electric-Record-Attempt and places the car within a carbon-neutral-era motorsport study. This physical reveal is the correct public reference for the illustrated vehicle. The workbook’s earlier development-announcement row does not establish another completed show car in 2020, and it is not imported as a second physical identity or assigned a guessed chassis count.

Subaru: E-RA physical reveal

Four motors give the control project its technical focus

STI states a maximum system output of 800 kW, also expressed as 1,088 PS, using four motors and four-wheel torque vectoring. Yamaha supplied the high-torque, high-speed motor units described in the release, with integrated inverter and gearing. The system is supplied by a stated 60 kWh lithium-ion battery. These are attributed project specifications, distinct from a homologated road-car power rating or an independently measured race result.

Torque distribution is more than a headline output

The release describes control using wheel speed, vehicle speed, steering angle, acceleration, yaw, brake pressure and wheel-load information. The intended result is to manage drive and braking torque at each wheel as the load changes. In engineering interpretation, this makes control response and vehicle balance central to the experiment. It is more informative than treating the concept as an electric equivalent of a conventional STI engine upgrade or assuming its architecture matches production Subaru AWD systems.

Subaru: E-RA physical reveal

The Nürburgring ambition is not an achieved record

STI’s January 2022 release set an initial goal of 400 seconds, or six minutes forty seconds, for a Nürburgring attempt from 2023 onward after testing in Japan. A stated target is not evidence that the lap happened or that the time was achieved. This profile records the original ambition with its date and wording in paraphrase. Any later result would require its own timed-run documentation, configuration and track conditions before being added as an accomplishment.

STI: E-RA architecture and stated targets

The archive follows an experimental vehicle

The included Osaka photograph depicts the named E-RA concept at an exhibition, supporting the appearance of the physical car rather than a customer delivery history. Useful records include factory project announcements, dated display photographs and separately evidenced test activity. Multiple exhibitions do not prove multiple chassis, and speculative future racing eligibility does not establish an entry or championship result. The car is retained as an experimental Archive identity outside the road-production count.

Specifications and identity reference

Rarity and production scope

The verified subject is the physical STI E-RA Concept revealed in January 2022. Its manufacturer project specifications and original lap ambition are attributed, but no completed-chassis census or successful Nürburgring record is inferred. SUB-196’s earlier development wording is held rather than imported as a second physical car. This Archive identity is excluded from road-production aggregation, and repeated exhibitions or project announcements do not establish additional vehicles.

This is an Archive identity. The experimental or individually named car is not added as extra production on top of its underlying family. Repeated exhibition appearances do not establish additional chassis; the specific scope above governs the count.

What the photograph represents

STI E-RA Concept at Osaka Auto Messe 2022. The image documents the physical experimental electric racer’s appearance, not a Nürburgring result or proof that the original 400-second lap target was achieved.

Related Subaru profiles

• 2022 Subaru Solterra STI Concept
• 2025 Subaru Performance-E STI Concept
• 2025 Subaru Performance-B STI Concept

Frequently asked questions

Did E-RA achieve a six-minute-forty-second Nürburgring lap?

The cited January 2022 source states that time as an initial goal; it is not evidence of an achieved result.

Is 800 kW a production WRX specification?

No. It is STI’s stated maximum system output for this experimental four-motor project.

What is the production-count boundary for this profile?

The verified subject is the physical STI E-RA Concept revealed in January 2022. Its manufacturer project specifications and original lap ambition are attributed, but no completed-chassis census or successful Nürburgring record is inferred. SUB-196’s earlier development wording is held rather than imported as a second physical car. This Archive identity is excluded from road-production aggregation, and repeated exhibitions or project announcements do not establish additional vehicles.

Sources and further reading

1. Subaru: E-RA physical reveal
2. STI: E-RA architecture and stated targets

Research checked 19 October 2026. Linked manufacturer heritage pages, factory announcements, official distributor publications and labelled contemporary coverage support the specifically identified claims. Photographic descriptions identify the illustrated subject. Design analysis and suggested authentication steps are editorial interpretation.