Meet the next Subaru WRX. And after the Mitsubishi Evo has morphed into an SUV, so the no-longer-an-Impreza appears to have downed the protein shakes and bulked up a bit.

While not on the scale of transformation its rival has gone through, this Viziv Performance Concept certainly has a look of crossover about its proportions. Its David Blaine-like levitation above Subaru’s Tokyo Motor Show stand probably doesn’t help, mind.

It’s longer and wider than the current WRX STI saloon, but sticks to its traditional boxer petrol engine/all-wheel drive setup. No sops to electrification at Subaru just yet.

While Subaru hasn’t gone into firm details – it would appear this is just a design study – we’re told it embraces “widespread future deployment of automated driving technologies”, utilising a next-gen version of Subaru’s ‘EyeSight’ driver assist systems. Perhaps, like that new Evo, it wants to help you drive fast.

Power outputs are conspicuous by their absence, but the WRX brand hasn’t really moved on from the circa-300bhp ballpark for over a decade now. Perhaps Subaru sees that as the sports saloon sweet spot, but a production version of the Viziv would need 400bhp or more to stand out in a world of Audi RS3s, Mercedes CLA AMGs and Ford Focus RSs.

Reckon a WRX that looked like this would put fast Scoobies back on the map? Or should Subaru have followed Mitsubishi and gone chasing a different genre already?