More 2023 Subaru Solterra EV News – Drops Of Nothing
By Phil Royle – Aug. 31, 2021
The 2023 Subaru Solterra EV SUV, Subaru’s first EV, is due to hit showrooms in about a year. Yet while other companies are teasing battery pack sizes, range, charging speed, and various other notables regarding their as-yet-released EVs (even when the specs are disappointing), it’s becoming painfully obvious that Subaru is wielding a large bag of nothing.
While it hasn’t been announced, the Solterra will all but undoubtedly share its underpinnings with the previously announced Toyota bZ4X. Subaru claims its Solterra SUV will ride on the e-Subaru platform, but make no mistake, it will be a Toyota e-TNGA variant. And while that might sound good given Toyota’s heft in the automotive world, it’s also notable that Toyota has been limited on information about its bZ4X EV SUV, too.
In a nutshell, Subaru is relying on Toyota to launch the company into the world of EVs, but Toyota is as behind the ball as Subaru.
Before you say I’m being too hard on Subaru, read today’s press release about the Solterra EV:
Subaru Announces New Information About Upcoming 2023 Subaru Solterra
* Most technologically advanced Subaru ever
* Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive standardSubaru of America, Inc. (SOA) today announced new information and images of the upcoming 2023 Subaru Solterra.
The Solterra, Subaru’s first all-electric SUV, is the most technologically advanced Subaru yet. Built on the e-SUBARU Global Platform, the all-new SUV offers ample back-seat and cargo room.
Packed with advanced safety technology, the versatile and capable Solterra is built from Subaru SUV DNA, including legendary Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and plenty of ground clearance.
With 96 percent of all Subaru vehicles still on the road today, Solterra joins a family of safe and long-lasting vehicles.
Solterra will go on-sale in mid-2022. Go to https://www.subaru.com/solterra-ev for more information.
Now read through Subaru’s other short press release regarding the Solterra – a press release published nearly four months ago, on May 11, 2021:
Subaru Names New All-Electric SUV “Solterra”
* SUV is Brand’s First Global All-Electric Vehicle
* Solterra developed as a joint-venture between Subaru and Toyota
* Built on the all-new e-SUBARU Global Platform
* Engineered to be a safe, versatile, and capable Subaru SUV
* Scheduled to go sale in the U.S., Canada, China, Europe, and Japan in 2022Subaru 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.
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.
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.
Visit https://www.subaru.com/solterra-ev to learn more.
Add the two press releases together, consider the four months spanning the two, and what do you have? Pretty much nothing.
Subaru states its EV SUV will be all-wheel drive, which is a shock to no one considering Subaru is well known for producing all-wheel-drive vehicles. Subaru also says the Solterra will be safe – once again, Subaru is known for safety, so there’s little surprise in that vaguery, either. Also, considering the Solterra will largely be a rebadged Toyota, high levels of safety is far from a shocker.
Truthfully, the most detailed information Subaru has given us thus far is how the company landed upon the name “Solterra.”
An image on Subaru’s website indicates its forthcoming Solterra EV will sport a large center screen and display pod above the steering wheel, both of which are remarkably similar to preview images of the Toyota bZ4X. That said, Subaru has been tight lipped on details.
Back to the point: When it comes to EVs, Subaru currently has nothing, and I won’t be shocked should the Solterra come out in 2023 rather than next year.
Subaru’s laggard approach to EVs saddens me. I want EVs to succeed, and I want all so-called “legacy” automakers to prosper in the electric future, especially enthusiast brands.
For companies like Subaru with limited resources, partnerships make sense; but in this case, Toyota was one of the worst companies to hitch a wagon to. Honda’s choice to partner with GM was smart, and Fisker and others opting for partnerships with Magna were equally solid decisions. At the moment, relying on Toyota for an EV venture is far from a sure bet, especially considering the clock on electrification mandates is ticking ever faster around the world.
Things don’t look so good for Subaru right now when it comes to EVs, but I’m hopeful. Subaru, please prove my doubts wrong.
(Images courtesy Subaru)
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