One of the Best Affordable Sports Cars Is Struggling to Stay Alive
The BRZ is a fantastic car, but its weak sales are making Subaru’s EV numbers look strong by comparison.
Electric vehicle sales have taken a noticeable hit in recent months after the federal government ended the $7,500 tax credit. It’s unclear whether this drop stems from softening demand or simply from shoppers rushing to buy EVs before the incentive disappeared, but the decline is undeniable.
Against that backdrop, it’s no shock that the Subaru Solterra posted a rough November. The electric SUV has struggled to gain traction since its launch. What is surprising, however, is that the Solterra wasn’t Subaru’s poorest performer last month. And yes—you can probably guess which model fell even lower.
Subaru Sold Fewer BRZ Sports Cars Than Solterras in November 2025
Subaru managed to move only 187 BRZ units in November 2025, falling behind the 232 Solterra EVs sold during the same month. That figure marks a steep 41.6% drop compared to November of last year. Year-to-date, the BRZ sits at just 2,653 deliveries—an 11.8% decline—with only one month left to salvage 2025. Subaru could really use a turnaround, especially considering BRZ sales were already down 20.1% the previous year.
The BRZ Is Subaru’s Worst-Selling Car… By a Wide Margin
Nothing in Subaru’s 2025 lineup is performing as poorly as the BRZ. The next closest model—the WRX, Subaru’s other performance-oriented offering—has moved 9,715 units so far this year. Even with WRX sales dropping 42.1% year-to-date, it’s still outselling the BRZ by more than three to one.
Not even the loss of the federal EV tax credit could drag the Solterra to last place. Subaru’s electric SUV is still ahead of the Subaru BRZ by nearly four to one in 2025. For further perspective, the brand’s best-selling model, the Crosstrek, has outsold the BRZ by a staggering 66-to-1 ratio this year.
The BRZ Wasn’t the Only Two-Door Sports Car to Struggle
November 2025 wasn’t kind to one of the BRZ’s closest competitors, the Mazda MX-5 Miata, either. Mazda reported a steep 44.5% decline compared to November of last year. Even so, the MX-5’s 443 sales in November more than doubled the BRZ’s total. And on a year-to-date basis, the Miata is dominating, with 8,245 units sold—up 10.1% from the previous year and far ahead of Subaru’s struggling coupe.
Two-Door Sports Cars Like the BRZ Can’t Afford to Lose More Ground
The market has shifted sharply away from traditional two-door, rear-wheel-drive, manual-transmission sports cars. Sales volumes are now so low that it’s increasingly difficult for automakers to justify developing these models on their own. The Subaru BRZ itself has always relied on a joint venture with Toyota, sharing its platform with the GR86. Toyota has taken a similar approach with the Supra, co-developing it with BMW.
Even in the U.S., long-standing nameplates are struggling. The Ford Mustang is selling at historically low levels, and despite internal support at GM, executives and engineers haven’t found a financially viable path to bringing the Camaro back.
Subaru hasn’t revealed any plans for the BRZ’s future, but shrinking sales certainly won’t help the case for another generation. In fact, with numbers this weak, even once far-fetched ideas—like a shared platform between the next Mazda MX-5 and Toyota GR86—suddenly feel more realistic than ever.
