Subaru Australia has finally launched its more robust version.wilderness“Badge Down Under, starting with the latest generation of the Outback crossover SUV – and according to the brand’s local boss, there’s more to come.
Subaru Australia general manager Scott Lawrence said Daily Sparkz at the local launch of the new Outback, the Wilderness sub-brand has “lots of exciting things” in the pipeline.
“Launching Wilderness with Outback was a conscious decision. Given how well Wilderness is aligned with the Australian market, we have some pretty cool plans and will let you know what that looks like and how it will grow,” Mr Lawrence said.
Asked for details – meaning new models, accessories and the like – Mr Lawrence replied: “(They’re) all on the table – lots and lots of exciting things.”
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The seventh-generation Subaru Outback has just landed in Australia, led by two Wilderness variants that add increased ground clearance, improved approach and departure angles, underbody protection, adaptive suspension and additional tread to the off-road capable X-Mode, among other design and equipment changes.
Subaru of America offers a range of Wilderness models in the US based not only on the Outback, but also on the Crosstrek and Forester SUVs. Other upgrades in the US include more robust off-road tires, not yet available in Australia.
The Japanese brand announced at the Tokyo Motor Show in October that it would expand the Wilderness and STI sub-brands in the domestic market as adventure and performance divisions under the broader Subaru umbrella, which actually followed Mr Lawrence’s confirmation of Wilderness models for Australia in May.
In addition to the Outback, a Forester Wilderness “prototype” was also shown in Japan, perhaps suggesting that the next nameplate in Subaru’s lineup in Australia will bear the “Adventure Ready” badge.
Subaru Australia sales fell 3.9 per cent in 2025 in a stagnant overall market, with the Outback’s 18 per cent drop as the previous generation was phased out likely to blame – causing the brand to lose almost 2000 units alone.
The compact Crosstrek also recorded a decline of 6.1 percent (10,842) in the calendar year, while the new-generation Forester made up ground in the second half of 2025 and the mid-size SUV recorded growth of 12.9 percent (15,179) over the course of the year.
In 2026, the new Outback has already been launched, while the Solterra EV underwent a facelift and price adjustment late last year, representing growth of 221.4 percent in January 2026 – admittedly from a low base (45 units).
Subaru Australia has also promised the larger Trailseeker EV in the coming months, which is likely to drive higher volume rather than Forester or Outback sales, and the local boss has also hinted at an expansion of hybrid products this year.
In conversation with Daily SparkzSubaru Australia general manager Scott Lawrence said while he couldn’t give specific plans yet, there would be “more hybrid vehicles across the range”.
“Our response (to NVES) is portfolio-wide (and) product-focused, as you saw last year with Forester Hybrid, Solterra updates and Trailseeker, with much more to come in the broader hybridization and electrification space,” Mr Lawrence said.
“It is a point of discussion as to how we expand the hybrid range and we will see more hybrids across the range – but there is nothing to reveal at this stage.”
When asked specifically about the Crosstrek S:HEV “Strong Hybrid” and the Impreza “e-Boxer” mild hybrid, Mr. Lawrence said he had “no plans” to share at this point, but both compact model lines would logically be the next taxis in that range.
However, it is unclear whether the hybrid expansion will coincide with the proliferation of the Wilderness badge, although the Wilderness “editions” of the Crosstrek in Japan, for example, are equipped with the “e-Boxer” mild hybrid engine available in the Australian Crosstrek Hybrid.
Stay tuned to Daily Sparkz for the latest information
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