• Subaru plans to introduce several hybrid models, as well as new vehicles, thanks in large part to its ties with Toyota.
Subaru’s relatively small size compared to the industry’s giants means its resources are far more limited. Developing new models is a bigger challenge than it is for larger companies. The shift to electrification supercharges the challenge.
Which is why Subaru's first electric vehicle, the Solterra, was developed in partnership with Toyota and is a close cousin of that automaker’s bZ4X. Toyota, by the way, owns 20 percent of Subaru.
Subaru recently confirmed plans to launch three new electric SUVs over the next few years. These plans were unveiled during a conference call on the company's results, as reported by Automotive News.
That falls in with Subaru’s long-term goal of having half of its worldwide sales, or around 600,000 vehicles, be all-electric. The Solterra will play a central role, but so will the other three models. And they will be developed and built in partnership with Toyota.
One of these vehicles will be assembled by Subaru at its Yajima plant in Japan, while Toyota will build one in the U.S. That one will be Subaru’s version of the future Toyota bZ5X, a three-row electric SUV due to be launched in 2025 at Toyota's Kentucky plant.
The collaboration with the Japanese giant will also enable Subaru vehicles manufactured in the USA to benefit from federal tax credits for electric vehicles, without Subaru having to redesign its American plant.
Beyond that, Subaru plans to market four more electric vehicles by the end of 2028. Those, however, will be developed in-house. The company anticipates 400,000 sales of electric models worldwide in 2028. It admits, however, that that will depend on what direction demand takes.
The plan is ambitious by today's standards. In 2023, of its 850,000 sales, only 14,000 were of the Solterra.
The Japanese automaker also says it wants add hybrid variants to its range. We already know that the Forester will be produced in a hybrid edition, but Subaru now confirmed that the Crosstrek will as well. We can guess that a model like the Outback would be a good candidate as well.
U.S. production of the hybrid configurations is scheduled to start in 2026.