Subaru is building an all-electric SUV

Subaru, just like almost every other mainstream car manufacturer, is working on an all-electric SUV. Confirmed yesterday in a tiny 125-word statement, Subaru says its first EV will be a “mid-size SUV, similar in size to the Subaru Forester”. It will be introduced sometime in the first half of this decade, but “additional information will be shared next year”.

The new EV will be jointly developed with Toyota. In 2019 the two companies announced they were teaming up to develop a “a C-segment-class BEV SUV model for sale under each company's own brand”. Meaning, much like the GT86/BRZ, the new SUV will be available as either a Toyota or Subaru.

The partnership brings together the companies’ “respective strengths” – Subaru’s all-wheel drive expertise and Toyota’s knowledge of electrification in its various forms. Toyota claims the new ‘e-TNGA’ platform is “highly versatile and easily adaptable for a range of product types” – it can accept front, rear and four-wheel drive powertrains and various battery types/sizes and configurations.

Toyota says its first car on the new platform “has already been developed and is being readied for production”, so don’t be surprised if the Toyota beats the Subaru to market.