Subaru EV SUV Confirmed For European Markets

Subaru’s European division has announced that it is preparing for the launch of a full electric vehicle.

Scheduled for introduction in the first half of 2020’s, Subaru’s all-electric vehicle will be a mid-size SUV, similar in size to the Subaru Forester model. It will be built on a platform shared with Toyota.

Additional information will be shared sometime next year.

The news underlines Subaru’s efforts to reduce its environmental footprint in Europe and satisfy a growing demand for alternative powertrains.

It also signals the brand’s second electrification step in Europe after it recently launched mild-hybrid variants of two core models in the region, where the Subaru XV e-BOXER and Forester e-BOXER models today represents 60% of the sales volume.

Scheduled for introduction in the first half of 2020’s, Subaru’s all-electric vehicle will be a mid-size SUV, similar in size to the Forester model. It will be built on a platform shared with Toyota. Additional information will be shared sometime next year.

Toyota and Subaru first announced they were collaborating on a new electric-car platform in 2019. The first model to come from each brand on this platform will be a Nissan Qashqai-sized family SUV. Toyota teased its version – expected to have name beginning with BZ – in the first week of December 2020.

Toyota BEVs

Toyota has said it plans to start mass-producing electric cars in China in 2020. After launching in China, the company will gradually introduce them to Japan, India, the US and Europe, with 10 pure-electric models being available worldwide within the next few years.

It's promising to take a "co-operative stance" and work together with various other companies and partners to drive electrification. Its electric-vehicle strategy includes 'ultra-compact' vehicles like personal and mobility scooters, as well as electric cars adapted to the needs of various global markets and the development of high-performance batteries.

This isn't the first time Subaru and Toyota have worked together; Toyota owns a stake in Subaru's parent company Fuji Heavy Industries, a connection which lead to the development of the rear-wheel-drive Subaru BRZ and Toyota GT86. The companies have had a collaboration agreement in place since 2005.

Aside from this, the two brands have concentrated largely on hybrid technology (what Toyota calls a 'self-charging' setup). Toyota contributed to the development of the Crosstrek, a plug-in hybrid SUV model that Subaru sells in the US. Subaru has recently launched an 'e-Boxer' hybrid version of its distinctive internal-combustion engine. The brand says that from now on, all of its pure-electrification efforts will be focused on the Toyota collaboration.