Subaru has revived the car on which the rally-bred WRX legend has been built with a sedan version of its fastest model, the WRX STI.

Recently unveiled at the New York motor show, the new WRX STI sedan gets more aggressive styling, including a huge rear wing and boldly flared wheel arches that give the small pocket rocket more visual presence and a wider track, for better handling.

Like the WRX STI hatch that’s been on sale for some time – and will be updated later this year – the STI sedan will be the performance hero in the Subaru range.

The new STI will be powered by a 2.5-litre turbocharged engine driving through all four wheels, expected to give the $60,000-odd four-door 0-100kmh capability of a little over five seconds. Subaru says the WRX STI sedan will be in Australia by the end of 2010 joining the revised Subaru WRX line-up that brings with it more aggressive styling as part of a model update.

MACKAY WRX:

With news of this upcoming additions to the subaru range, MackayWRX.com is also planning to make a comeback. I would like to organise a cruise in about a month or so and advertise that we are still up and running. I would like to get some help from the members in keeping the website running, making posts on the front page and also the forum. I will be able to go into more detail on this on the cruise. I will setup member accounts and create a working document which will help you to login and create posts of interest in regards to the group or just Subaru news in general.

Registrations are open to Everyone by filling in a simple form with your username and email. Activation is through a simple click on a link sent to your e-mail address.

Update: The old forum is now located here: http://www.mackaywrx.com/forum2 if you wish to view the old information.

Once you have signed up again you can start posting on the new forum: http://www.mackaywrx.com/forum, I am in the process of moving most of the important information across to the new forum.

Subaru has announced its participation in the 37th ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race (AKA the 24-Hours of Nurburgring) with a Subaru Technica International-modified Impreza STI. The WRX will be campaigning in the SP3T class (comprised of turbo’d cars with a displacement of 2.0 liters), with Kazuo Shimizu, Toshihiro Yoshida, Naoki Hattori and Koji Matsuda manning the helm during the enduro.

According to Subaru, the team’s objective is to “collect data and verify technical know-how” and use the knowledge it gleans from the race to improve the STI’s development. The modifications are standard race-car fare, with a stripped interior and safety equipment, along with a number of body stiffening components and a “Flexible Tower Bar.”

Subaru’s set up a micro-site to track the team’s progress and will supposedly have live timing and results when the event gets underway in May. Press release in the forums.

The car pictured above is the Prodrive Impreza WRC2008 with which former World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm will return to the WRC for a one-off race at the Rally of Portugal. Gronholm will test the Impreza in Wales this week, before undertaking a full two day pre-event test in Spain next week. This means the two-time World Rally Champion will have three days to familiarize himself with the race car before starting his first World Rally Championship event in nearly 16 months.

According to Prodrive, the Impreza WRC2008 is virtually identical to the car used by the Subaru World Rally Team at last season’s WRC. “We have only been able to make minor changes to the car because of homologation restrictions, with the most significant difference being the Ohlins dampers,” said Prodrive technical director, David Lapworth. “In a perfect world, Marcus would have had far more time behind the wheel, however, with his years of experience, I am absolutely confident he will very quickly find a rhythm in the Impreza,” he concluded.

The next meet is on the 22nd of February, if your keen to meet us or catch up feel free to come along.

Click here to download the flyer to hand out to other subarus you might feel want to come along.

Australian petrol prices were still relatively low compared to international prices, the report found. The report has enabled the ACCC to further explore factors influencing petrol prices, and the industry’s profits, costs and revenue, after releasing recommendations from its 2007 petrol price inquiry.

Unleaded petrol prices closely followed the price of Singapore Mogas 95, which is used as the regional benchmark for prices, the ACCC said. 

“Movements in Australian petrol prices are overwhelmingly determined by international petrol prices,” ACCC commissioner Joe Dimasi said in a statement. ”Between mid-July and mid-December retail prices had fallen by at least as much as Mogas prices had fallen.”

However, between December 2007 and October 2008 petrol prices did deviate from the international price for a short period. The ACCC found the deviations were due to “supply issues” in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, an increase in international freight costs, volatility in the Singapore Mogas 95 index and fluctuations in the value of the Australian dollar.

City and country petrol prices were also examined, with prices in country towns and the three smaller capital cities six to seven cents a litre higher than the five largest metropolitan cities. Pricing differences were due to a combination of factors including higher transport costs, lower volumes and less competition in the smaller centres. The report also confirmed findings from the 2007 petrol inquiry which found the petrol industry was concentrated at the refining and wholesale levels.

New competitors in the market faced significant barriers from current arrangements by the oil companies and the “low potential” for large-scale independent importing. But despite limits at the wholesale level, Australian petrol prices were still relatively low compared to international prices. During the year, petrol retailers had also seen substantial cost increases primarily reflecting crude oil costs and wholesale petrol costs while industry profitability had not increased despite petrol price increases. Profitability levels more generally didn’t appear to be higher in comparison to other industries. The federal government has asked the ACCC to produce two more annual reports into petrol prices within the next two years.

Monthly Meet N Greets are held so we can all meet up, have a chat, and even go for a cruise. The meeting place is at Supercheap North Mackay car park at 12:30pm on the last Sunday of the month.

The next meet is on the 21st of December, so if your keen to meet us or catch up feel free to come along.

Click here to download the flyer to hand out to other subarus you might feel want to come along.

Monthly Meet N Greets are held so we can all meet up, have a chat, and even go for a cruise. The meeting place is at Supercheap North Mackay car park at 12:30pm on the last Sunday of the month.

The next meet is on the 30th of November, if your keen to meet us or catch up feel free to come along.

Click here to download the flyer to hand out to other subarus you might feel want to come along.

SUBSCRIPTIONS:

As of the 5th of November we have switched to a subscription fee arrangement to cover some of the on-going costs of running the website.

A full paying member ($20/year) will have access to all of the members only areas, the ability to edit and delete their own posts, full access to the garage and calendar. 

A non-paying member will have limited access to the forum. 

Currently, paying Members will have access to the following: 

-Ability to write posts on the front of the Mackay WRX website. www.mackaywrx.com (Includes a Login – “Author” which they can use to add their own posts) 
-Access to the Paying Members Only section on the forum. (This was previously “Members Only”) 
-Access to the Resources, Garage and Calendar Sections on the forum. 
-Free Mackay WRX Stickers, Flyer’s. 
-Access to future members only sections of the website and promotional material.

Ive created a Donation button to receive any donations to help keep MackayWRX running. I’m using the secure website www.paypal.com. Ill post any payments recieved on the website. If you have any questions, feel free to email.

Meet N Greets are held so we can all meet up, have a chat, and even go for a cruise.

Click here to download the flyer to hand out to other subarus you might feel want to come along.

The next meet is on the 26th of October, if your keen to meet us or catch up feel free to come along.

Click here to download the flyer to hand out to other subarus you might feel want to come along.