Subaru announces the all electric Solterra SUV, on sale from 2022 in the Northern Hemisphere
Subaru’s Solterra will be available in the Northern Hemisphere in 2022. Images: Subaru USA
Subaru’s all-electric SUV will be named Solterra.
Subaru’s planned fully-electric SUV now has a name — Solterra — and it is based on a platform co-developed with Toyota. Subaru names the architecture the e-Subaru Global Platform, whereas over in Toyota City, it’s known as the e-TNGA platform and underpins the BZ4X Concept.
We know little of the technical specifications at this stage (much like the BZ4X), however Subaru and Toyota have confirmed both vehicles will be fitted with all wheel drive as standard.
The name Solterra was born from the latin words for “Sun” and “Earth” to represent Subaru’s commitment to “delivering traditional SUV capabilities in an environmentally responsible package”. The company has yet to comment on whether this means that the manufacturing process is carbon neutral, or that the car contains recycled/planet-friendly components.
Subaru promises to increase electrified model range
This is the first in a series of battery-electric models from the automaker, as Subaru targets an electric-ish future with plans for the early 2030s to “apply electrification technologies to all Subaru vehicles sold worldwide”. According to the fine print accompanying this statement, Subaru is referring to fully electric as well as petrol hybrid technologies.
Let’s hope the Solterra also represents a new design direction for the company; the last few years have — in our opinion — shown a decline in Subaru’s design direction, with a number of derivative, unremarkable vehicles coming out of their design studio. Hyundai has certainly laid out a challenge with the bold Ioniq 5, and Audi’s Q4 brings a sharp, contemporary style to the traditional SUV silhouette.
The Solterra is scheduled to go on sale in Northern Hemisphere markets initially, reaching Canada, the US, China, Japan and Europe sometime in 2022. The Driven has confirmed that Subaru Australia has no plans to release the Solterra in the short term.
Source: Subaru USA