Subaru Teases VIZIV 2 Concept Ahead of Geneva Motor Show

As the 2014 Geneva Motor Show grows closer and closer, more and more Japanese car previews are making their way out of the shadows. Today, we’re going to talk about the newest concept to be teased ahead of the year’s first major European auto show – the Subaru VIZIV 2.

As you might expect, the Subaru VIZIV 2 is the sequel to the original VIZIV Concept (pictured below), which we actually saw for the first time at last year’s Geneva Motor Show. However, what you might not expect is that the VIZIV 2 is actually the third iteration of the VIZIV Concept, the VIZIV EVOLUTION having made its debut late last year at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. So, they really should have called it the VIZIV 3.

What separates the new Subaru VIZIV 2 from the original concept and its second evolution? (And when is Subaru going to come up with a different name for concepts? I really don’t want to see a Viziv 36 at the 2031 Geneva Show!)

Well, the biggest difference is that Subaru has guaranteed us that this concept will definitely become a future-generation crossover. In other words, the VIZIV 2 is reportedly much closer to production than its predecessors. And, just remind you, the VIZIV is expected to herald the replacement for the Subaru Tribeca crossover.

In case you’ve forgotten, the VIZIV name is intended to evoke the phrase “vision for innovation”, and as you can see Subaru has made some innovating changes to this new crossover concept. Since the two teaser photos only show the front fascia, however, that’s really the only area where we can actually see those changes. From what we can tell, the VIZIV 2 gets a new headlight configuration complete with C-shaped LEDs, and circular foglights also surrounded by LEDs. The front grille also looks like it might have been tweaked a bit.

All in all, the VIZIV 2 definitely looks much closer to production than the first two. It looks as if it’s maintained much of the flair of the originals, and perhaps even brought some new design enhancements and technologies to the table.

Speaking of technologies, the original VIZIV Concept featured a 2.0L turbocharged diesel combined with a trio of electric motors – one for each rear wheel and one for the front wheels. The VIZIV EVOLUTION, meanwhile, had a 1.6L direct-injection turbo boxer along with semi-autonomous driving technology. Which powertrain and which technologies will make it into the VIZIV 2 remains to be seen, although Subaru has virtually guaranteed us that the tri-motor configuration will definitely make it into production.

Outside of the VIZIV 2 Concept, Subaru has a couple other goodies planned for Geneva. The WRX STI is set to make its European debut, along with a racing version of the sports car which will compete in this year’s Nürburgring 24 Hours race.

We’ll be sure to keep you updated as soon as we see the new Subaru VIZIV 2 Concept in the metal, so sit tight for a couple weeks and we should have the full scoop. Until then, thanks for reading!