FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has revealed that Subaru is eyeing a comeback to the World Rally Championship (WRC), with the backing of Toyota.

Addressing reporters at a media roundtable during the Acropolis Rally Greece 2023, Ben Sulayem spoke about his conversation with Toyota's chairman Akio Toyoda.

He expressed that during their conversation about attracting more manufacturers to the WRC, Akio Toyoda passionately mentioned Subaru. Toyota owns a stake in Subaru and is keen on supporting Subaru's re-entry into the WRC.

"It's not a secret I had a good meeting with Mr. Akio Toyoda, and I asked him what we can do [about enticing more manufacturers into the WRC] and I listened to someone who is passionate. And he mentioned Subaru," said Ben Sulayem.

"They own a percentage of Subaru and they are going to support an initiative of Subaru entering. And I feel someone like him, when he speaks, he speaks with confidence," he added.

From a technical standpoint, crafting a car that complies with the Rally1 regulations would not pose a problem for Subaru. These rally cars are built on a spaceframe chassis, offering ample flexibility for manufacturers to create competitive machines.

One of the major hurdles for Subaru's comeback has been the lack of a suitable engine in its current lineup that complies with the Rally1 powertrain regulations, which requires a hybrid 1.6-litre engine. However, it seems that Akio Toyoda is open to the idea of sharing engine technology with Subaru, which could potentially pave the way for this comeback.

In the current 2023 WRC season, Toyota is leading the standings with reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä at the top with 170 points. Elfyn Evans follows closely behind in the runner-up position with 145 points, while Thierry Neuville of Hyundai holds third place with 134 points.

"I see positive signs from the chairman of Toyota in convincing Subaru to come back and providing the engine, where Subaru's issue is with the engine," Ben Sulayem noted. "It's not with the car; it's with the engine they have. And I can see some signs of optimism there, really."

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