Subaru has had a very interesting relationship with the manual transmission with the WRX and BRZ models being some of the most recent models in its lineup to embrace the shift it yourself option.

The Japanese automaker is preparing to expand its presence in the manual performance car market and used a press confrence at Fuji Speedway to confirm it will be bringing three new models to showrooms with all three of them being equipped with manual transmissions.

A trio of performance

Subaru brought along three veiled vehicles to its press conference and promised big changes are coming. The first vehicle on the left is a new WRX variant with the car reportedly using the same TY85 manual gearbox that was once paired with older STI models. The STI has been a much-talked about topic amongst fans and the company itself with Subaru resisting the urge to bring a full-blown STI model back to showrooms despite tremendous feedback from consumers and the company releasing models that used the letters but stopped short of going all-in on it.

It’s not known if this model will finally signal Subaru is finally changing its mind on the matter or i it’s more of the same, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on as more information about the model is gradually released.

A lighter BRZ is coming

Meanwhile, the middle most model is a new version of the BRZ which is supposed to be a follow up of the STI Sport Type RA that launched in Japan. That model was a rare beast and interested buyers had to win the right to buy it through a lottery system with the company only building 300 units. This rumored sequel would follow the same core gameplan with outright power being pushed to the side for increased weight savings and enhanced handling behavior.

That sounds tempting to us especially when you consider how potent the standard BRZ is when it comes to outright handling. It’s not known if the company will resort to a lottery system like it did with the RA but look for this BRZ to be pretty rare in its own right.

A hatchback sized mystery

Rounding out the trio of vehicles Subaru brought to its press confrence is perhaps the most interesting of them all, a manual equipped hatchback. Subaru says it’s supposed to be a new “affordable base car.” Reports suggest Subaru is taking this goal very seriously with the company not only making the equipment list as basic as possible, but also reviewing and selecting materials that would allow the car to be within its targeted price point.

Not much else is known about this model, but if Subaru is indeed moving towards the affordable side of the performance vehicle market with this hatchback, it might finally have a formal competitor to rivals like the VW GTI, Civic Si, as well as the Hyundai Elantra N.