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Subaru has confirmed that its brand new electric SUV called Solterra will hit the market next year.
The brand’s upcoming electric vehicle, which will be an SUV, will share its platform and powertrain technology with the recently unveiled Toyota bZ4X SUV concept, becoming another competitor for the Volkswagen ID.4 and Ford Mustang Mach-E.
Like Toyota, Subaru is holding back on technical details, though we know the Solterra will be based on the brands’ jointly developed e-TNGA electric car platform.
Subaru also gave us a rough indication of the size of the SUV, saying it will have similar dimensions to the current generation Forester. We expect the car to take on some of the sharp body lines from the Subaru electric concept car unveiled earlier this year, and teaser footage of the Solterra suggests an angular nose and bold, trapezoidal headlights.
Toyota and Subaru have also said the new platform will leverage the strengths of both brands. As such, the new zero-emission family SUV will combine Toyota’s experience with Subaru’s electrotechnology and all-wheel and off-road expertise. Compared to the Toyota bZ4X, Subaru is striving for even more safety and driving stability with the Solterra.
The new platform is also very adaptable, allowing either front, rear or all-wheel drive. It’s also scalable, as Toyota and Subaru have already planned a wide range of models based on the e-TNGA, including an even larger family SUV and sedan.
The platform has an electric motor on the front axle and a battery pack mounted deep in the chassis to improve weight distribution and packaging of the vehicle. On that front, the related Toyota bZ4X is said to have similar rear legroom as the Lexus LS sedan, so we can expect the same for the Solterra.
The new EV platform will help Subaru meet its long-term emissions targets. The Japanese manufacturer is aiming for fully electric and electrified vehicles to account for at least 40 percent of its global sales by 2030.
Subaru began its move to electrification in 2019 with the introduction of hybrid variants of the XV and Forester – the latter features the brand’s e-boxer PHEV powertrain. By 2050, Subaru hopes to reduce the average CO2 emissions of its new vehicles by 90 percent compared to 2010.
The brand had planned to launch an electric vehicle with a customized version of its Global Platform later this year, but that project has now been discarded.
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