2016 Subaru WRX STI Series.HyperBlue

The 2016 WRX STI Series.HyperBlue paired a distinctive pale-blue exterior with a tightly defined American allocation. Subaru announced 700 US cars, keeping the turbocharged, manual, all-wheel-drive STI identity while coordinating the wheels, badges and cabin details around the edition colour.

The announcement year differs from the model year

Subaru of America announced Series.HyperBlue on July 1, 2015 as a 2016 model. This corrects the inventory’s use of 2015 as the public profile year without erasing its original reference. Vehicles were scheduled to go on sale that autumn. The announcement covered both WRX STI and BRZ, but gave each a separate allocation and equipment description. A shared colour campaign does not make their production populations or mechanical specifications interchangeable.

Subaru of America: 2016 Series.HyperBlue announcement

The established STI drivetrain remains central

The original US release specifies a 305-horsepower 2.5-litre turbocharged and intercooled boxer engine, a reinforced six-speed manual and DCCD Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive. Those are factory specification references, not measurements of a surviving modified example. The edition’s significance lies in the complete combination of STI engineering and a particular appearance specification. It should not be described as a separate high-output engine programme merely because its colour and limited availability distinguish it from a regular car.

The exterior works as a coordinated treatment

Black 18-inch BBS alloy wheels, black badging and black exterior mirrors accompany the Hyper Blue paint. Their contrast helps the pale body colour define the car’s visual identity. These parts also illustrate why paint alone is weak authentication: wheels, mirrors and badges can be changed independently of the original vehicle. A convincing history connects the appearance to original sales documentation and the factory edition identity, recording any replacement components rather than assuming everything visible is original.

Subaru of America: 2016 Series.HyperBlue announcement

Cabin details extend the edition theme

Subaru specifies blue stitching across the Alcantara seats, steering wheel, gearlever boot, console and floor mats. The announcement also lists the navigation multimedia system with Harman/Kardon audio, Keyless Access and push-button starting. These details give an identification file more depth than a single exterior photograph. Interior trim may wear, be retrimmed or migrate between vehicles, so close photographs should support the documentary record rather than substitute for it.

Subaru of America: 2016 Series.HyperBlue announcement

Keep the American allocation properly bounded

The 700 figure belongs to the US WRX STI Series.HyperBlue programme announced by Subaru of America. It is not a worldwide total for every pale-blue STI or a combined BRZ-and-STI allocation. The included Commons photograph identifies a Hyper Blue STI; its photographed chassis and original sales market are not independently authenticated here. It illustrates the edition’s appearance while the American allocation and equipment facts come from the manufacturer’s announcement.

Specifications and identity reference

Rarity and production scope

Subaru of America announced a limit of 700 WRX STI Series.HyperBlue cars for the United States. The separate 500-car BRZ allocation is not added to the STI count. The cap is retained as an attributed manufacturer programme reference, with exact completed production left blank. A Hyper Blue photograph does not independently establish the pictured chassis’s US-market membership, its originality or the number of surviving vehicles.

What the photograph represents

Source-identified WRX STI Hyper Blue photographed in 2016 with Australian registration plates. This is an explicitly regional appearance reference, not proof of membership in the 700-car US Series.HyperBlue allocation. The US count and equipment come from Subaru of America’s announcement.

Related Subaru profiles

• 2016 Subaru BRZ Series.HyperBlue
• 2018 Subaru WRX STI Type RA
• 2019 Subaru WRX STI S209

Frequently asked questions

Why is this listed as a 2016 car?

The July 2015 factory announcement expressly identifies the Series.HyperBlue models as 2016 vehicles.

Was the BRZ part of the same 700-car allocation?

No. Subaru announced 700 WRX STI cars and a separate 500 BRZ cars for the US market.

What is the production-count boundary for this profile?

Subaru of America announced a limit of 700 WRX STI Series.HyperBlue cars for the United States. The separate 500-car BRZ allocation is not added to the STI count. The cap is retained as an attributed manufacturer programme reference, with exact completed production left blank. A Hyper Blue photograph does not independently establish the pictured chassis’s US-market membership, its originality or the number of surviving vehicles.

Sources and further reading

1. Subaru of America: 2016 Series.HyperBlue announcement

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.