By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

The latest in the saga of the RWD Toyota/Subaru coupe is that it will hit showrooms in 2010 as a Celica. Pretty cool, and it makes a lot of sense, but given all the abrupt shifts in this story line, I’ll believe it when I see it. Via Jalopnik

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

For a while there it looked like this project was dead in the water. Turns out it just got delayed a bit, owing to the challenges presented by trying to apply direct injection to the flat-4 boxer engine. Fans of the AE86 will like the new code name. Heck, maybe this news will make Nissan reconsider their decision to cancel the Silvia replacement. More at 7Tune.com

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

First it morphed from a 2+2 into a two seater, and now it sounds like this highly anticipated RWD enthusiast car has been postponed to 2012. Or do you think the project might be dead altogether? No word on the status of the Silvia replacement. Via Autoblog

This car was just kind of sitting out all by its lonesome. No one touched the car the whole time we were there–not sure what they have planned for it at Formula D this weekend. More pics after the jump. I also shot this short walk-around vid.

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Edmunds is reporting that we will only get the Subaru version of the jointly developed Toyota/Subaru RWD Coupe slated for 2011–the Toyota version will be sold exclusively in Japan. The new 2+2 coupe will be powered by Subaru’s naturally aspirated boxer 2.0-liter, which should produce around 220 hp and be mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Expect it to ride on a 103-inch wheelbase, weigh between 2,800 and 2,900 pounds and come in just south of $20k. This all sounds good to me. But please please please don’t give it the fugly Impreza-esque front clip shown in the rendering below.

This is the second Showroom Showdown that has been too close to call. The last one was the Accord Coupe vs. the Altima Coupe in February. No matter how you look at it, these affordable RWD coupes will be game changers. Finally, another generation will be exposed to some RWD goodness. We will be following both vehicles’ development closely in the CarDomain blog. I can’t wait to see how they turn out.    

Yes, both cars are about two years out, and details on each are still a bit sketchy. But we know a lack of information has never stopped you guys from having an opinion! Nissan is claiming they will have their car in the showroom first, and of course, they already have a strong following from the 240. But don’t count out Subaru, who is developing their car jointly with Toyota. So, which cool, affordable RWD coupe would you choose: the Silvia or the Subie?

Two weeks back we told you about the new RWD coupe that Subaru and Toyota are developing together. Well, it sounds like some people (including some folks at Subaru) are worried that this new car may dilute the brand (source: Autoblog). I understand the concern, but I think it’s a bit shortsighted. First of all, I think that the Tribeca did more to dilute the Subaru brand than a RWD coupe could. Second of all, gas prices are going up, and if Subaru sticks to AWD cars with sucky gas mileage, they’re gonna be in trouble. They should probably add a cheap FWD econobox to their lineup, and it’s about time that someone built an affordable RWD 2+2 coupe–personally, I’m glad that Subaru is the one that’s gonna do it. Sure, they will have to market it correctly, but ultimately I think it will be good for Subaru and the Subaru brand. What do you guys think?