Subaru is teasing its first all-electric vehicle, an SUV now called “Solterra,” which is coming to the US as soon as next year.
When it comes to electrification, Subaru has been taking things slow.
The Japanese automaker has yet to launch an all-electric vehicle on the market, but that’s apparently about to change.
Today, the automaker announced its first all-electric vehicle, an SUV in partnership with Toyota:
“Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) today announced that it will name its new full-electric SUV Solterra. Designed as a joint venture between Subaru and Toyota, the Solterra features a new, dedicated all-electric platform named the e-SUBARU Global Platform. The joint venture combines Subaru’s expertise in all-wheel drive technology with Toyota’s vehicle electrification technology.”
Subaru also released those two teaser images of the new electric SUV:
Subaru explains the meaning of the name “Solterra”:
“The name Solterra was created using the Latin words for “Sun” and “Earth” to represent Subaru’s commitment to deliver traditional SUV capabilities in an environmentally responsible package.”
The automaker didn’t release more details about the vehicle, but it did provide a timeline.
The automaker had previously announced that it is working on a Forester-sized electric vehicle, but it had only announced a vague timeline of in the “first half of 2020s.”
Now, Subaru says that it is coming to market next year:
“To create the all-new e-SUBARU Global Platform, Subaru engineers worked to bring together the brand’s all-wheel drive capability, superior driving dynamics and world leading passive safety in a versatile, dedicated EV platform. The result is a technologically advanced full-electric SUV that is also a truly capable and durable Subaru SUV. The Solterra joins Subaru’s award-winning line-up of SUVs, including the Outback, Forester, Crosstrek and Crosstrek Plug-in Hybrid. The Solterra will go on sale in 2022.”
Around the same time, Toyota is expected to bring its own first all-electric SUV to market.
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Author: Fred Lambert
Source: Electrek
