In another sign of how the pendulum has swung at least in the short term away from BEVs and towards hybrid models in the automotive landscape, Subaru Canada will be bringing the planned Forester Hybrid to market here a year earlier than planned, so for the 2025 model-year. Deliveries in the U.S. are expected to start early next summer; there’s no word yet on a schedule for Canada.
Solterra out
At the same time, we learn this week that the Japanese automaker’s Canadian division has reportedly decided not to market the 2025 Solterra EV here – this according to Driving.ca. Subaru Canada will sell off its remaining stock of 2024 models, but that will be it, for now at least.
Subaru actually sold more of its Solterra on Canadian soil than ever before in 2024, but that small increase it registered over 2023 (1,616 units by September 30, 2024, versus 1,376 in the first three quarters of 2023) wasn’t enough to convince the automaker to keep it going. Canadian consumers, it should be noted, have bought far fewer of the Solterra than they did of the model’s close cousin the Toyota bZ4X.
In the U.S., Subaru has announced the 2025 edition of the Solterras, with a substantial price reduction.
Forester Hybrid in
As for the Forester, it’s expected the new hybrid configuration will hit the market in mid-2025. It will be the brand’s first North American hybrid model since the Crosstrek Hybrid quietly left the scene in 2023. The Forester Hybrid model will be based on the new sixth-generation Forester SUV that debuted earlier in 2024.
It’s also widely expected the Forester Hybrid is designed using a new powertrain configuration, called Subaru Strong Hybrid and the electric components of which are reportedly borrowed from Toyota. The powertrain, already in use in the Crosstrek Hybrid model sold in Japan, will feature Subaru’s trusty 2.5L flat-4 engine combined with an electric motor and battery that are more powerful than previously seen in a Subaru hybrid.