Subaru has been somewhat of a parodox in the automotive world. The stereotypical crunchy, nature-living Subaru buyer does not jibe with Subaru vehicles, which have been behind the times on fuel economy. The low-range Solterra is the one EV effort thus far. And none of Subaru’s big-selling SUVs above the Crosstrek offer even a hybrid. But that’s about to change.
Tomoaki Emori, Subaru’s chief general manager of global planning, mentioned that Subaru needs “strong hybrids and electric vehicles” and that the brand will need to offer “several models in (their) EV lineup” in America by 2025; America typically accounts for around 70% of Subaru’s sales globally. And Subaru just provided more details on those plans. Here is what we know.
Why has Subaru fallen behind on hybrids and EVs?
Much of Subaru’s technical development is tied in with Toyota, by far the largest Subaru shareholder with a 20% holding. Toyota has been the loudest EV skeptic among major car brands — only the heavily related Toyota bZ4X, Solterra (built by Toyota) and Lexus RZ have emerged thus far. And Subaru setting sales record after sales record without hybrids (before Pandemic-related supply chain issues) mitigated the need for them.
But Toyota is now making a hard pivot toward EVs themselves. The brand is pouring R&D into an onslaught of new EV battery technology, ranging from cheaper lithium iron phosphate batteries to solid-state units that could eventually achieve more than 900 miles of range. And according to Automotive News, Toyota is strongly considering sharing its new EV technology with partners like Subaru.
Tyler Duffy
