Subaru teases its Solterra electric car; to debut next year
What's the story
Japanese automaker Subaru has released two teaser images of its first electric car, the Solterra EV. It shall make its way to the US, Canada, Europe, and the brand's home country next year. The four-wheeler will draw power from the electric vehicle platform that the company is developing in collaboration with fellow Japanese carmaker Toyota. Here are more details.
Details
Solterra EV will look similar to Subaru's other SUVs
The teaser images don't give out much about the Solterra EV. One of them seems to be a render and it reveals that the car will have a chiseled bonnet, tri-LED headlamps with integrated LED DRLs, a skid plate, roof rails, and black-out B-pillars. The other picture is a close-up of the rear badge, showing the Solterra EV moniker.
Naming
The name comes from Latin words for Sun and Earth
No details related to the specifications, pricing, and interiors of the Subaru Solterra EV have been revealed as of now. However, the company has shared that the car's name was "created using the Latin words for 'Sun' and 'Earth' to represent Subaru's commitment to delivering traditional SUV capabilities in an environmentally responsible package."
Efforts
Toyota is creating an SUV based on the shared platform
Toyota is also working on an SUV called bZ4X, which will be created on this shared platform with Subaru. It will debut next year. The platform is called e-TNGA by Toyota, and Subaru calls it e-Subaru. The duo has said that vehicles built on it will benefit from Toyota's experience in developing battery technology for its hybrids and Subaru's knowledge of making all-wheel-drive systems.
Quote
Here's a statement by Subaru
"The Solterra is a full-electric SUV that is also a truly capable and durable Subaru SUV. The Solterra joins Subaru's award-winning line-up of SUVs, including the Outback, Forester, Crosstrek and Crosstrek Plug-in Hybrid. The Solterra will go on sale in 2022."