Subaru Files ‘STe’ Trademark Application – Electrified Subie Coming Soon?

Subaru has officially filed a trademark application for ‘STe’ nomenclature at the German Patent and Trademark office. Filed in Class 12 category, which covers locomotion apparatus by land, air, or water, this revelation has sparked numerous rumours online, suggesting that there is an electrified Subie coming soon in the future.

Interestingly, folks at Motor1 have not found any evidence of Subaru applying for the similar trademark in other regions and countries, including other European countries, United States, or even in their home state Japan.

2022 Subaru WRX, powered by the marque's signature 4-cyl 'Boxer' engine

Previously, Subaru announced that there would be no STI version for the latest-gen WRX model, much to the dismay of loyal Subie fans. However, the automaker previously wrote a statement that reads: "Subaru Corporation is exploring opportunities for the next-generation Subaru WRX STI, including electrification.” This, in turn, makes the prospect of seeing an electrified, STe-badged version of the WRX in near future seem not too far-fetched after all.

The automotive industry is now laden with electrified performance cars, as many automakers are now fitting in some form of electrified technology into their performance models, for the sake of both improved performance and bypassing the ever-tighter emission regulations. Even the ‘purest’ performance marques like Lamborghini have gone the electrified route, with its newly-unveiled next-gen V12 flagship being a plug-in hybrid supercar.

2023 Subaru Solterra EV SUV (left) and 2022 Subaru STi E-RA Concept

And more importantly, Subaru itself is no stranger to electrification. Apart from its all-electric Solterra EV SUV, the Japanese marque also worked on a special EV prototype named the STI E-RA concept. This Subie EV concept is primed with a dual electric motor setup that delivers 1,073 HP, powered by a 60-kWh battery pack.

During its unveiling, Subaru had initially planned to take the STI E-RA prototype for a lap time record around the famous Nurburgring track in Germany, set to take some time in 2023. Given the fact that the Green Hell is the de facto spot for automakers to test out their models, it is also possible that this trademark application could be related to this testing effort.

However, it is also important to consider that Subaru might not designate this STe badge for its performance model, at least not exclusively. We may have to weigh the possibility of seeing them using the STe badge as the performance-oriented variant for their electrified models, like the Solterra EV SUV. It could also be that the STe badge will be used deliberately to mark an electrified variant for all existing Subaru models.

As for now, these are just merely speculations based on rumours and conjectures flying around the automotive world. Best thing to do is just wait…