Despite the decline in sales, the automaker’s four-door sports car showed a rebound for the first time in months.
In more ways than one, 2026 has proven to be a bingo card full of underselling conditions for the auto industry. Prices, fuel prices… just take your pick.
However, that does not mean that all things were bad. Between Ford’s resurgence in Mustang sales and Honda’s growing Passport Trailsport portfolio, some hot hatchbacks are still putting up good numbers.
Now, the beloved Subaru may be about to change as well. Following a steady decline earlier this year, the brand’s WRX finally has some good news to report.
A unique sales spike
That’s because it was among only three models to post an improvement for April 2026 compared to April 2025. Overall, Subaru was down 5.9 percent for the month, but the WRX, Crosstrek, and Solterra each showed growth.
Now, they are cars that run on completely different orders. Subaru shipped 15,667 Crosstreks in April compared to 1,178 WRXs (and 1,128 Solterras).
Still, the WRX’s numbers were a 52.6 percent gain over the same period last year. It’s quite an improvement considering that the other product option in the BRZ is down 14.5 percent.
Admittedly, the small two-seater is a niche item at 282 units in April. However, the trend appears to follow Subaru’s re-introduction of the lower-priced WRX trim earlier this year. In contrast, the BRZ lost its cheapest option following the 2025’s poor performance.
Either way, when you consider that established product bases like the Forester and Outback were down 7.7 and 8.3 percent, respectively, the WRX had an exceptional month. It has yet to decline by 16.4% annually, but this could be a sign that the tide is starting to change.
EVs may provide a niche, too
What’s more, it’s not the only way Subaru shows promise. As fuel prices rose, Solterra improved its performance last year by 18.9 percent, reaching 1,128 vehicles from 949.
Although this means that growth has slowed down compared to previous years, as it has improved by 2.2 percent to 4,169 total Solterras for the year, the situation has changed. In addition to doing without EV tax incentives, it’s not Subaru’s only EV.
In April, the brand released the new Trailseeker and Uncharted EVs following their announcements last year. Both also showed respectable debuts with 406 sales and 519 pop sales.
As you can see, in its first April on the market back in 2023, Solterra found 603 buyers, and that had the benefit of a few months in 2022 to start gathering sales momentum. Only time will tell if they’ll be able to keep pace throughout the year, but these EVs should grow in popularity with price increases on tap.
To that end, as much as the WRX may seem up-and-coming, its numbers may be a different matter. For now, however, this sports a unique crossover for the Subaru brand.
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