Subaru’s All-New BEV - Why The New Design Hits U.S. Shores First
Torque News obtained permission from motor.es to use their excellent rendering of the all-new 2022 Subaru electric SUV above. It depicts what the new Subaru "Evoltis" could look like when it arrives. While we don't know if Subaru will use the name "Evoltis" for the new BEV, the Japanese automaker has a new nameplate patent.
With Toyota's announcement for its first battery-electric SUV this week, Subaru's new BEV is coming into focus. We know it will likely ride on Toyota's e-TNGA platform, a derivative of the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA).
Subaru will use it to support its all-wheel-drive vehicle, and according to the Japanese automaker, it could also come in the front-drive configuration. Kazuhiro Abe, Subaru's vice president for product planning, says the new BEV could use a front-wheel-drive structure with one motor and an all-wheel-drive variant with two motors.
Subaru will rely on Toyota to bring its first-ever battery-electric car. While Toyota plans to launch a "portfolio of battery-electric products," Subaru will launch one all-new model in 2022 and have limited availability.
Subaru Corporation CEO Tomomi Nakamura told Automotive News recently; the new Subaru all-electric SUV will be a compliance car for California emissions and the recent zero-emission vehicle mandate
The U.S. takes priority over other global markets
He also told AN, Subaru Corporation is putting a priority on the U.S. market and its customers. Because the automaker sells 66 percent of all its cars in the U.S., the new battery-electric will arrive on U.S. shores first.
Subaru will likely follow Toyota's lead in its slow and cautious approach to converting its overall fleet to all-electric technology. Subaru will also rely on hybrid technology and has announced they will have an "electrified" lineup by the mid-2030s. The plan will include hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and its all-electric model.
Subaru is not expecting all-electric demand in the U.S. to increase anytime before the mid-2030s. "I don't know when, but EV demand will expand sometime," Abe said. "We think it will expand a lot. Maybe not in the early '30s, but maybe from the late '30s or '40s."
The new 2022 Subaru battery-electric model will be about the same size as the Subaru Forester compact SUV. Even though it's developed with Toyota, Subaru will keep the new BEV "distinctly Subaru."
Nakamura says its partnership with Toyota gives them access to new technology. "They have a lot of knowledge of electrified vehicles. So we thought working with Toyota would allow us to introduce an all-electric SUV and hybrid faster. We can absorb Toyota's knowledge." Stay tuned.
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Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Photo credit: motor.es, Subaru
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