Subaru is finally getting into the EV game after years of rumours and teasers, and their first fully-electric vehicle will be an SUV named “Solterra”. The SUV EV is scheduled to go on sale in 2022 in selected markets, including Japan, the United States, Canada, Europe and China.
The Solterra will be Subaru’s first battery electric vehicle (BEV), occupying the C-segment SUV space. Codeveloped with Toyota, the Solterra will be built on a new dedicated electric platform, which it calls the e-Subaru Global Platform (e-SGP). In Toyota’s case, the platform (called e-TNGA) is used underneath the bZ4X – essentially the same car with a name that’s significantly harder to pronounce.
The name comes from ‘Sol’ and ‘Terra’, which are Latin for sun and earth respectively. According to Subaru, the new EV was given the name as it’s meant to “appreciate mother nature and further advance the form of coexistence with it”, and of course, highlight the traditional Subaru go-anywhere capabilities – the latter playing a large role in the partnership between the two companies.
Leveraging on Toyota’s electrification technology and Subaru’s all-wheel drive know-how, the platform will support “various types of EVs” thanks to its modular components. For now though, the platform’s are only found on the SUV twins.
Subaru isn’t sharing further details on the powertrain just yet, but the press release does come with a teaser image of the car. While most details have been blackened out (trust us, we looked!), the car does strongly resemble the Evoltis clay model that the company showed off last year, just a lot more conventional – which is probably a good thing.
From what we can see, the upcoming Subaru Solterra gets a different headlight design to the bZ4X, featuring a more angular design. The overall silhouette though, including its tall stature, does remain quite faithful to its Toyota counterpart.
