Subaru is planning hybrid expansion in Australia – what happens next?

Subaru Australia’s boss promises more electrification in the pipeline and suggests there is “much more to come” beyond the Japanese brand’s existing hybrid portfolio.

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.”

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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.

The Crosstrek remains a relatively popular model in the Subaru range in Australia, although it has lost some ground in the sales race against the likes of the Hyundai Kona and MG ZS since the current model was launched a few years ago.

Last year it recorded 10,842 new registrations, of which only 969 (8.9 percent) were for the “e-Boxer” version, which has a 48 V electrical system with slow electric drive – hence the name “Hybrid” instead of “MHEV”.

In Japan, the Crosstrek now offers the same S:HEV 2.5-liter hybrid system as the larger Forester, improving both performance and efficiency and providing a combined range of 1000 km per tank.