Subaru confirms first electric car will be Europe-bound SUV
Subaru electric concept
Japanese firm is developing a new battery-electric SUV on platform it co-created with Toyota
Subaru's first electric vehicle will be an SUV built on a new bespoke EV platform shared with Toyota - and it has confirmed that it will come to Europe.
The Japanese firm says that the model will be launched in the first half of this decade, although it's tipped it to be revealed next year.
It will be similar in size to the existing combustion-engined Forester. Because it will be built on an electric-only architecture, it's expected to get a new name; Japanese media are reporting that it will be called Evoltis.
It will use the electric platform that Subaru partnered with Toyota to develop, known as e-TNGA. The architecture is designed to be highly adaptable to allow for vehicles of different lengths and can be used for front-, rear- and four-wheel-drive layouts, thanks to the ability to fit motors to both axles. It can also accept multiple battery sizes.
Subaru and Toyota have already confirmed they will jointly develop an SUV on the platform, and Toyota recently said that it will unveil a new electric SUV, similar in dimenstions to the RAV4, next year.
While not confirmed by either firm, the new Subaru EV is likely to be 'twinned' with that Toyota machine. Toyota is planning to develop six EVs on the e-TNGA platform.
Beyond the use of the shared platform, Subaru has released no further technical details of the new EV, saying that it will divulge more details in 2021.
Earlier this year, Subaru displayed an electric concept car at a technology briefing in January (pictured), and it's expected that the eventual production EV will take styling cues from it.
Subaru’s first EV is a major step in its electrification plans. The firm has recently introduced mild-hybrid versions of its Impreza, XV and Forester and is aiming for at least 40% of its global sales to be either electric or hybrid by 2030.
Subaru had previously planned for its first electric car to be based on an existing model built on its own Global Platform, but it changed that concept due to its new partnership with Toyota.
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