Subaru unveiled its first all-electric model in a world premiere in Japan on Wednesday evening. The Solterra, which will get its North American presentation at the Los Angeles Auto Show next week, is the result of another partnership between Subaru and Toyota.
Presented at a press conference held in Tokyo on Thursday, the Solterra, built on the electric-vehicle Subaru Global platform, will hit dealerships in North America, as well as in the European, Chinese and Japanese markets, in the middle of next year. Toyota's cousin, the bZ4X, will debut at the same time.
Subaru is another Japanese automaker that is tightening its alliances with larger rivals to cope with the electric shift; Honda is collaborating on an ongoing basis with General Motors. And the timing is right for Subaru, because in the U.S., where the company racks up nearly 70 percent of its sales, news broke last week that Congress was passing President Biden's $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that, among other things, paves the way for a clean energy future.
“We hope to use the alliance to develop technology and know-how until the world fully embraces electric cars,” Subaru CEO Tomomi Nakamura said at the presentation. “Eventually, electric vehicles will be an area within which we can compete with other manufacturers, including Toyota.”
In Nakamura’s view, electric vehicles today are still in their infancy. Recall that Subaru said at the start of 2020 that it didn't see much evidence that U.S. consumers wanted electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid models. Less than two years later, the automaker is trying to grow its U.S. market share, including with this new all-electric model.
According to Bloomberg Intelligence, Subaru held a 4.2 percent market share last year in the U.S., up from 2 percent in 2011.
In some parts of the country, that share is quite a bit larger, for instance in Vermont, where winters make all-wheel drive very popular. In Quebec and in British Columbia, Subaru's presence is also very strong.
Last year, Subaru said it expects electric and hybrid products to account for 40 percent of its global sales by 2030, and 100 percent by 2035. Its partnership with Toyota is meant to reduce development costs for both parties.
As for the vehicle itself, let's recall a few elements, though we’ll surely have more specific details regarding the versions that will be reserved for our market once the Solterra is rolled out at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
The Solterra is served by a 71.4-kWh battery, which should give it a range of around 400 km. The model adopts a format similar to the Toyota RAV4. It's longer than the Forester but shorter than the Outback.
Aesthetically, we recognize a few of Subaru's signature styling cues, notably with an abundance of plastic around the fenders. The overall look also shows elements reminiscent of some of Toyota's visual signatures.
Finally, we should mention that all-wheel drive will almost surely be the norm here, while front-wheel drive versions will be offered elsewhere.
We'll be back next week with more information.
