Subaru’s boxer dies its first death, next EV previewed
It’s a period of contrasts for Subaru, with reports emerging that the Japanese brand is soon axing petrol-powered vehicles in Europe, while showing off its next EV for the first time.
Subaru is on a pathway towards electrification, but it seems that can’t happen soon enough, with reports from Europe claiming its boxer engines will meet their demise by the end of 2027.
As reported by Germany’s Auto motor und sport, Subaru is axing its Outback SUV/wagon, which will be the first to depart Europe by the end of this year, having already been discontinued.
Following it in 2027 will be Subaru’s trio of ‘e-Boxer’ models in the Impreza, Crosstrek, and Forester, with the mild-hybrid systems in the three vehicles not enough to curtail the impact of Europe’s emissions regulations.
From 2028, this means Subaru will only offer the Solterra, E-Outback (sold in Australia as the Trailseeker), and the Uncharted to European customers, after the BRZ sports coupe was axed in the region back in 2024 due to safety legislation.
Ironically, the news of the boxer engine’s demise in Europe comes as Automotive News reports Subaru has demonstrated its first standalone EV in Japan.
According to the report, the new EV’s platform was showcased underneath an Outback body, which has been stretched to fit the longer wheelbase of the electric architecture, vision of which is available in the video by LOVECARS!TV! below.
It will be Subaru’s first dedicated EV, with its current trio all based on Toyota-led platforms.
“By developing vehicles in-house and having EV technologies on our own, we can quickly deliver to our customers the peace of mind and driving pleasure that define Subaru, even in this era of change,” Subaru’s executive officer in charge of engineering, Takatomo Watamori, told Automotive News.
“What matters is whether the technology itself can adapt flexibly, and whether our engineers themselves can change and evolve.”
The new EV test mule reportedly features two e-axles from Aisin, producing 380kW combined, enough to make it more powerful than any production Subaru in history, and enabling a 0-100km/h sprint of 4.0 seconds.
While the focus is on the new EV, Subaru is still reportedly investing in the development of more efficient combustion engines.
According to the report, Subaru’s next generation petrol engines will have a thermal efficiency of 50 per cent, having previously targeted 45 per cent by 2030.
