The Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid plug-in hybrid has run out of charging cords. Subaru has confirmed to Green Car Reports that there are no plans to launch the Crosstrek Hybrid in the new generation, which made its debut on Thursday at the 2023 Chicago Auto Show.
The Crosstrek Hybrid debuted for the 2014 model year as Subaru’s first hybrid, then became a plug-in hybrid as part of a redesign for the 2019 model. Still available for 2023 and now In stock at select West Coast dealers, the Crosstrek Hybrid will 17 miles all-electric and create a unique space among plug-in hybrids, reflecting Subaru’s mismatched market proposition.
Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid 2023
In plug-in hybrid form, the Crosstrek has always been a very low-volume vehicle, selling almost exclusively in the low-emissions states of California, where ZEV mandates and their credit-based compliance system require demand a certain percentage of plug-in models.
This leads to why the Crosstrek Hybrid is living in borrowed time. That regulatory compliance role is now taken by the all-electric Subaru Solterra, which joined the lineup in 2023, as The brand’s first mainstream EV (at least on Subaru’s terms). Solterra (the name is a combination of the Latin words for “Sun” and “Earth”) is positioned in a crowded segment that already has Volkswagen ID.4, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5 , Kia EV6 and Nissan Arya.
Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid 2023
Subaru has relied heavily on Toyota to get electric models into showrooms in the US. Solterra is closely related to Toyota bZ4X; Crosstrek Hybrid borrows components from both Hybrid RAV4 and Toyota Prius Primeand it is considered a project with important input from Toyota.
At the time of the introduction of the Crosstrek Hybrid, Subaru suggested that given the level of effort and investment by both companies in bringing the product to market, it could also be geared towards other models. With California’s plans since then to organize the most meaningful incentives for plug-in hybrid 50 miles, it’s likely those plans have moved on to other projects. So, another Crosstrek Hybrid along the lines of the old version makes no sense.
