Subaru Confirms Production of Fully-Electric SUV

They may have steadfastly stayed away from the inline four engine, but Subaru is seriously getting on the electrification bandwagon like almost every other car maker out there. The Japanese carmaker has just confirmed that a fully-electric SUV will be launched in the “first half of 2020’s”.

They have not revealed much in the short 125-word statement, apart from the fact that it will be similar in size to the Forester and it will be built on a platform shared with Toyota.

This is not surprising because Subaru has revealed a full-sized clay model at a press conference earlier this year. The company has also announced in July 2019 that they will be jointly developing “a new C-segment BEV SUV” to be sold under each company’s own brand, very much like the GR86/BRZ partnership.

The new fully-electric SUV will quite possibly be built on Toyota’s latest e-TNGA platform with Subaru’s famed Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive system. Its electric-focused architecture is also modular, so expect more electrified SUVs from both carmakers.

Compared to other marques, Subaru is not that ahead of its game in its electrificarion efforts. Before this, they have only used mild-hybrid technology in its e-Boxer powertrain, which has seen service in the Impreza, XV, and Forester. 

According to Subaru, the Subaru XV e-Boxer and Forester e-Boxer represent 60% of sales volume in Europe.