Subaru’s first EV – the Solterra SUV – on sale in 2022
Subaru has confirmed its first electric car – a mid-sized SUV called Solterra – will go on sale across multiple markets by mid-2022.
The battery electric SUV has been jointly-developed with Toyota, sharing the same e-TNGA platform as Toyota’s recently revealed bZ4X concept, although Subaru prefers e-Subaru Global Platform for its effort.
The Solterra is scheduled to go on sale by the middle of 2022 in markets including the US, Canada, Europe, China, and – key for Australians – RHD market Japan.
No suggestions on its specifications, range or what it will cost, although Toyota Australia’s vice president of sales and marketing Sean Hanley has previous stated its bZ4X “will be expensive” when it goes on sale in Australia, with 2022 being the earliest. It’s hard to imagine the Subaru twin being anything different.
Subaru Australia couldn’t confirm an Australian arrival date for Solterra, but told Evcentral: “The Subaru factory in Japan confirm that there is no timeline for the electric Solterra vehicle in Australia, however future electric vehicle projects form part of the ongoing dialogue between Subaru Australia and the factory.” Sounds positive.
We expected the Forester-sized SUV to be called Evoltis after Subaru trademarked the name in 2018, but has instead decided on ‘Sol’ and ‘Terra’ – the Latin names for Sun and Earth.
Subaru has only revealed the Solterra will be built on the same platform as its Toyota twin, but will share powertrain and interior parts as seen with the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ sports car efforts.
The e-TNGA platform is front-wheel-drive in base form, but we can expect the Solterra built upon it will feature a motor over each axle. The SUV would: “represent our commitment to deliver traditional Subaru SUV’s go-anywhere capabilities in an all-electric vehicle.”
Subaru said the collaboration between the two Japanese manufacturers “includes product planning, design and performance evaluation.
“In this development, the two companies combine their respective strengths, such as Subaru’s long-accumulated all-wheel-drive technology and Toyota’s outstanding vehicle electrification technology, to create a new SUV with attributes that only an all-electric vehicle can offer.”
Much like the Toyota bZ4X is the first of seven bZ models as part of a new sub-brand for Toyota’s electric models, we can expect the Solterra to kick of a glut of Subaru electric offerings.
“The e-Subaru Global platform, which has been jointly-developed by Subaru and Toyota, enables (us) to roll out various types of EVs,” Subaru said in its statement.
