► First electric car for Subaru
► Uses platform developed with Toyota
► EV will be similarly sized to Forester
Subaru has teased more pictures of its first electric production car – the Solterra. The new mid-size crossover SUV is scheduled to go on sale in 2022.
The new EV will use an all-electric platform developed with Toyota. Subaru calls it 'e-Subaru Global Platform', while Toyota calls it e-TNGA. Along with the Solterra from Subaru, the platform will also spawn the Toyota bZ4X crossover and more EVs from both brands to come.
The name Solterra is, as you'd assume, the joining of 'sol' and 'terra' – or sun and earth in Latin. Performance specs aren't known yet but, given Subaru's involvement in the platform, expect some off-road capability that's so inherent of the brand's other cars.
What we can see from the latest teasers is a tiny peek at the new interior. It's a clean layout, with almost every function placed on a near-vertical screen and touch panel.
Subaru's electrification efforts haven't developed quite at the same pace as other manufacturers. The Forester and XV SUVs both have 'e-Boxer' hybrid options, but that's about it. Still, Subaru is pretty switched on to safety tech; expect the new Solterra to come with Subaru's Eyesight driver assistance tech and, perhaps, even more recent technological developments like its Driver Monitoring System.
We'll see the new Solterra 'some time' in 2022.
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