Subaru may have revealed the sixth-generation version of its Forester mid-size SUV in petrol form only, but a hybrid version is on its way.
As reported by Automotive News, the new Subaru Forester will gain a hybrid powertrain in the US in 2025 which will have components sourced from alliance partner Toyota.
“We haven’t announced anything on specs or performance yet; that will be coming down the road,” said Subaru of America COO Jeff Walters to Automotive News.
“But it will be a Toyota-sourced battery [and electrical components] joined with a Boxer engine.”
The upcoming Forester Hybrid won’t be Subaru’s first hybrid that uses components sourced from Toyota.
“There’s a lot of work for engineering to get at it, but we’ve had a hybrid – the Crosstrek plug-in hybrid – that was a battery system sourced from Toyota,” added Mr Walters.
Subaru hasn’t offered a hybrid version of the Forester in the US before, though elsewhere in the world, including Australia, there’s an e-Boxer hybrid powertrain option available in the outgoing model.
This e-Boxer hybrid powertrain mates a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated flat-four petrol engine that produces 100kW of power and 196Nm, with an electric motor producing 12kW and 66Nm and a lithium-ion battery pack.
It’s worth noting the Subaru Crosstrek plug-in hybrid was never offered locally, though the Australian market receives an e-Boxer hybrid version of the new generation.
Earlier this year Subaru announced revised electrifications plans that will eventually see it offering a total of eight different electric vehicles (EVs) by 2028.
In addition to the EVs, Subaru will begin producing its so-called ‘Next-gen HEV’ models in Japan from around 2025 and in the US from 2026. Subaru CEO Atsushi Osaki also confirmed these models will use Toyota’s petrol-electric hybrid technology.
Subaru previously pledged its EVs and hybrid models would account for 40 per cent of its total global sales by 2030, but it has now revised this figure to 50 per cent.
Although Subaru is set to launch the next-generation Forester in the US in petrol guise during the northern hemisphere spring (March to June) next year, and in hybrid guise in 2025, the company’s local division hasn’t provided a firm launch date yet.
“We are incredibly excited about the global reveal of the next-generation Subaru Forester and we look forward to sharing more information about this model for the Australian market in due course,” said a Subaru Australia spokesperson.
In the meantime the Japanese carmaker’s local division is sticking with the outgoing model and has given it some minor tweaks for the 2024 model year.
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Mazda CX-50 -
Suzuki Across
Subaru isn’t the only brand that will use Toyota’s hybrid technology.
Mazda’s CX-50 will offer a Toyota-sourced hybrid powertrain, while Suzuki already sells the Swace and Across in Europe which are lightly restyled versions of the Toyota Corolla and RAV4 hybrids, respectively.
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