- Subaru has been slow to get onboard with the electric vehicle transition.
- The automaker is now trying hard to catch up by partnering with Toyota for several new electric SUVs.
- It has trademarked several off-roady names, including an e-Outback moniker in Japan.
The only electric car Subaru sells in the U.S. is a Toyota. The Solterra electric crossover is a cross-badged Toyota bZ4x. Just like the rest of Japan’s auto industry, the adventure-loving brand has been slow to electrification.
Sure, it’s teaming up with Toyota for its upcoming EVs, but it’s unclear if they will be true Subies or more rebadged Toyotas. However, there could be something in the pipeline that has Subaru DNA, but with an electric twist.
AutoGuide reported today that Subaru has trademarked the “e-Outback” moniker in Japan. The trademark application was filed in early August and published today. Rumors of a hybrid Outback have been running wild among Redditors for months but Subaru has yet to confirm anything on those lines.
Early this year, the automaker also trademarked a dozen other nameplates with the U.S. Patent And Trademark Office. All those names have a (sort of) wilderness theme: Viewfinder, Trailwind, Trailseeker, Trailhead, Hightrail, Getaway, Highrood, Outsider, Everpass, Everguide and Accomplice. (I'd argue the latter isn't the strongest choice for a production model, but we'll see.)
The outlet reported that the e-Outback may be a future hybrid version. Despite mass-market hybrids being nearly three decades old, they're back in vogue these days. An increasing number of automakers are betting big on them and the hybrid sales growth rate has outpaced BEVs. They’re likely to play a bigger role going forward as automakers find ways to meet strict emissions targets.
Moreover, Subaru is partnering with Toyota and Mazda to develop the next generation of combustion engines. At the “Multipathway Workshop” in Japan early this year, Subaru showcased a Crosstrek equipped with what it called a “next-generation” hybrid system. Specifications and other details weren’t revealed. But these are mere speculations. The e-Outback could be hybrid, fully electric or something totally different.
All said, it seems like the brand is preparing for a second half of the decade where more electrified options could be on the table. “We will hone our car electrification technologies to make our horizontally opposed engines shine in the carbon-neutral era,” CEO Atsushi Osaki said during the Multipathway Workshop. “On the other hand, we will continue to hone horizontally opposed engines themselves to utilize carbon-neutral fuels,” he added.
The automaker wants 50% of its new vehicle sales to be electric by the end of the decade. And it seems like it can’t get there without Toyota’s help. “Particularly with Subaru, we’ve had a ‘friendly fighting’ relationship since the time of our predecessors,” Toyota CEO Koji Sato said in May. “We don’t want to be beaten by Subaru, just as Subaru does not want to be beaten by Toyota. I believe this competitive spirit becomes a driving force for advancing technology.”
That seems like a logical next step. As Chinese automakers eye world dominance and software is at the core of modern EVs, it’s a challenging landscape for a small automaker like Subaru. Teaming up is the way forward and the brand plans to launch three electric SUVs in partnership with Toyota. There’s also a hybrid Forester in the pipeline and as aforementioned, a hybrid Crosstrek.
Rivian is already the adventure-focused brand of the EV era. Subaru may have lost some ground to the California start-up in that regard. But if it can bring these promised EVs to life, be it an e-Outback or the upcoming three-row electric SUV made in the U.S., it may have a fighting chance to reclaim some of its lost mojo.
