A recent trademark filing in Japan has pointed to the Subaru Outback going electric, though just when the lifted wagon will get battery power remains to be seen.
Published on Japan’s trademark website earlier this week, Subaru has applied to use the ‘e-Outback’ name on an upcoming model, likely an electric vehicle (EV).
Though it could also point to a hybrid, Subaru has traditionally been upfront when naming battery-assisted petrol model, such as the Crosstrek Hybrid and Forester Hybrid – both of which are powered by an ‘e-Boxer’ engine.
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In May, Subaru announced plans to launch three new electric SUVs or crossovers by the end of 2026, with a plan to jointly develop the upcoming models with Japanese giant Toyota.
“There is a huge risk for us to go it alone in this field. We have held talks with Toyota and have agreed that it is better to reduce risks through joint development,” Subaru CEO Atsushi Osaki said about the brand’s EV plans in May.
Subaru is targeting the US as its primary market for growth, forecasting it’ll sell 400,000 EVs there by 2028, or about half of its sales volume in the country.
The Outback was its best-selling vehicle in the US last year, with its 161,814 sales accounting for more than a quarter of all Subarus sold.
Previous reports have suggested one of the three new electric SUVs will be produced in Japan and exported not only to the US but also other global markets, contributing to an expected annual EV production capacity of 200,000 vehicles.
The remaining vehicles are expected to be built in the US, with one of these reportedly set to be a three-row electric SUV, launching after Toyota puts its own version (expected to be called the bZ5X) into production.
An additional four EVs are due to join Subaru’s global lineup by 2029, aimed at helping the Japanese marque reach 600,000 annual sales of battery-powered vehicles in 2030.
However, Subaru only sold about 14,000 examples of its Solterra electric SUV – its only EV in showrooms – last year, accounting for approximately six per cent of its total global sales.
Solterra
The Solterra is mechanically identical to the Toyota bZ4X, as the latter company builds both electric SUVs and owns a 20 per cent stake in Subaru.
The two companies have collaborated before, most notably on the Toyota 86/GR86 and Subaru BRZ sports coupes.
In Australia, Subaru has delivered 304 Solterras between January and July. That’s less than half Toyota’s 647 bZ4x deliveries, and considerably less than the 6643 Outbacks registered in the same period.
Subaru delivered 858 examples of the Outback in July alone, more than double the number of Solterras on Australian roads.
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