This is a big day for Subaru. Japan’s Subaru Corp is ready to enter the electric vehicle segment with the 2023 Solterra SUV, co-developed with Toyota. On Thursday Subaru unveiled its first all-electric vehicle (EV), the Solterra, the result of a two-year joint development project with its biggest shareholder Toyota Motor Corp.
The sports utility vehicle (SUV) launch comes amid accelerating demand for EVs as nations around the world tighten environmental regulation to cut carbon emissions. Toyota last month announced its version of a battery electric vehicle (BEV), the bZ4X.
The technological shift away from internal combustion engines poses a challenge for smaller carmakers, such as Subaru, that are less able to fund the expensive development of EVs. At the same time, its an opportunity for top-tier automakers, such as Toyota, to draw smaller rivals closer.
Toyota, a pioneer of hybrid electric cars but a latecomer to the full EV market, plans to have a lineup of 15 BEV models by 2025. It is also spending $13.5 billion over the next decade to expand auto battery production capacity. Subaru’s vehicle sales are less than a tenth of those at Toyota, the world’s biggest automaker by production volume.
The front-wheel-drive Solterra has a cruising range of 530 km (329 miles), while the all-wheel-drive version can drive 460 km on a single charge, Subaru said in a press release. Toyota owns a fifth of Subaru, and has a 5% stake in Mazda Motor Corp (7261.T), which plans to launch 13 electrified vehicles by 2025, including hybrids and BEVs that will incorporate Toyota technology.
Subaru will offer the Solterra in numerous markets around the globe starting in mid-2022. Pricing will be announced closer to its on-sale date, and as mentioned previously, stay tuned for Solterra’s US debut just ahead of the L.A. Auto Show on November 17.
