subaru got into the electric vehicle (EV) game a little later than most old carmakers, but is now putting the pedal to the metal.
The Japanese automaker announced as part of its latest financial results presentation that it plans to launch three more electric crossovers by the end of 2026, in addition to the current model. solterra.
These three upcoming Subaru EVs will be built at Subaru’s plants in Japan and use batteries sourced through an alliance with Toyota. It’s worth noting that Solterra is basically an improved version Toyota bZ4Xwith two companies that have co-developed electric twins.
At this stage, it remains unclear whether these three new Subaru EVs will make their Australian debut.
In addition to this announcement, Subaru detailed its roadmap that culminates in the ability to produce 400,000 electric vehicles annually by 2028.
To this end, the Japanese carmaker will begin self-manufacturing electric vehicles at its Yajima plant, with a goal of producing 200,000 units per year by “circa 2026”.
Subaru will also add a dedicated electric vehicle production line around 2027 at the Oizumi plant, which currently produces engines and transmissions, with the same goal of producing 200,000 electric vehicles per year.
In addition, the Japanese automaker plans to start production of the next-generation hybrid vehicle setup in 2025. The transmission of this vehicle will be produced at the Kitamoto plant, where it was previously used. to manufacture industrial products.
EQUAL previous reportSubaru’s next CEO, Atsushi Osaki, says the company will “accelerate .” [its] efforts to address the profound transformation the auto industry is undergoing.”
The new CEO also said he will focus on increasing sales in the US and Australia. The US accounts for about 65% of the carmaker’s sales, while Australia is the company’s fourth-largest market after the US, Japan and Canada.
As noted above, the Subaru Solterra is yet to launch in Australia and recently delayed until the second half of this year.
The arrival of the electric crossover is getting later and later in 2023, with the company initially announcing last year that it would land in the first half of 2023 before that. delayed until the middle of the year.
Subaru did not specify the impact of overseas recall operations and instead cited supply constraints. That’s different from Toyota, which has hinted that it is delaying the launch of the nearly identical bZ4X to Q4 2023 in order to get an updated model.
Solterra is expected to arrive here only in a dual-motor four-wheel-drive configuration, while its single-engine front-wheel drive versions and the bZ4X are offered overseas.
The dual-motor version has 160kW of power and 337Nm of torque, an increase of 10kW and 71Nm on the single engine version.
Both variants use a 71.4kWh lithium-ion battery with a maximum AC charging capacity of 6.6kW and a maximum DC charging capacity of 150kW.
The WLTP range figure for the relevant bZ4X puts the FWD model at 516 km and the AWD model at 470 km, with a claimed 0-100 km/h time of 7.5 seconds and 6.9 seconds respectively.
The AWD Solterra features the X-Mode AWD control system developed by Subaru, just like other Subaru SUVs. It is also available with 20-inch alloy wheels, while the FWD model is only available with 18-inch wheels.
The electric crossover measures 4690mm long, 1860mm wide and 1650mm tall on a 2850mm wheelbase. That makes it slightly longer and wider than the forester. Ground clearance is 210 mm, 10 mm lower than the Forester, while the limited weight ranges from 1930 kg to 2020 kg.
Globally, Subaru and Toyota have had trouble launching these models.
A crippled wheel hub bolt problemcan cause wheels to fall off, trigger a large-scale recall campaign and stop production for months – even Toyota USA offer to buy a car – as brands scramble to find solutions.
Solterra is now available revoked in the US again after some vehicles failed to get the proper fix for the hub bolt problem.
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