Subaru teases battery electric Solterra SUV

Subaru Corporation has released some teaser pictures of its all-new global battery electric Solterra SUV which it has co-developed with Toyota Motor Corporation.

It will go on sale in mid 2022 in Canada, China, Europe, Japan and the USA.

The 2022 Solterra sits on the same global EV platform as its co-developed Toyota sibling the BZ4X, but unlike the Toyota, the Subaru has not been confirmed for Australia and New Zealand.

The Australasian Subaru distributor, Inchcape, has confirmed to media that the factory has no production slots available for the Australian and New Zealand markets. 

Subaru of New Zealand’s Managing Director Wallis Dumper is excited to see Subaru continuing to progress towards a more sustainable future, following the launch of the Kiwi adventure brand’s e-Boxer Hybrids last year.

“We are thrilled that Subaru has announced its first electric vehicle, however we are still in discussions with Subaru Corporation about availabilty for the New Zealand market.  Future electric vehicle projects form part of ongoing dialogue between Subaru of New Zealand and the factory,” he says.

“The news will no doubt excite many of our customers who are looking forward to owning a Subaru electric vehicle, however currently there is no timeline to share.”

Subaru says the Solterra is an all-electric C-segment-class SUV and it will be the first vehicle to be built on the battery electric vehicle (BEV) dedicated e-Subaru Global Platform.

The name Solterra is an amalgamation of the words Sol and Terra, which in Latin means Sun and Earth respectively.

Subaru Corporation says it gave this name to the EV to appreciate mother nature and further advance the form of co-existence with it, together with its customers, and to represent its commitment to deliver its traditional SUV brand go-anywhere capabilities in an all-electric vehicle.