- Subaru said during a technology briefing in Japan that it will bring an electric vehicle to market before 2025, jointly developed with Toyota.
- Subaru plans to have 40 percent of its global sales be hybrid or electric vehicles by 2030.
- Every Subaru product will have a hybrid or electric version by the mid-2030s, which means Subaru is taking a relatively leisurely route to electrifying its lineup compared with other manufacturers.
While some automakers have been announcing ambitious electrification plans for the current decade, Subaru—among just a couple of others—has approached its future electric plans a little more gingerly.
At a technical briefing in Japan, Subaru announced that by 2030, it aims to have at least 40 percent of its global sales be hybrid or electric vehicles. And then by the mid-2030s—about 15 years from now—the Japanese automaker will electrify its entire lineup, meaning all of its cars will be offered with either battery electric or hybrid powertrains. That doesn’t necessarily mean the internal-combustion-engined Subaru will go away; a Subaru spokesperson told C/D, “The statement does not mean we will [offer] full electric vehicles only.“
Subaru also showed a preliminary version of an electric crossover that the company is jointly developing with Toyota, pictured at top, and said to expect it on the market by 2025.
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Plans for the co-developed EV were announced last summer. Last June, Toyota released its own plans for bringing electric vehicles to market, which includes six new models launching between 2020 and 2025.
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“I think that the market for electrified vehicles will take some more time to form in the U.S. Only Tesla’s EVs are selling well,” Subaru CEO Tomomi Nakamura told a group of reporters. “But I think a trend toward electrified vehicles will emerge, without doubt, so we would like to make preparations for that.”
Even as Subaru embarks on new projects, the company is focusing on the attributes that distinguish the brand. Subaru said at the technical briefing that it will stick with its boxer engine and all-wheel-drive technology, including an electrified version of the engine.
Subaru’s plans contrast with those from automakers such as Volkswagen and Hyundai. VW plans to introduce 75 electric vehicles across its brands by 2029 and announced that it will spend $66 billion in the next five years on electrification and new digital technology. And Hyundai plans to launch 16 EV models by 2025 and announced a $35 billion investment in mobility and other auto technologies over the next five years. Even Ferrari said its lineup will be 60 percent hybrid by 2022.
Source: Motor - aranddriver.com
