The upcoming Subaru-Toyota joint-venture sports car will be a Subaru at heart, though Toyota is expected to have input on the car's appearance. Subaru fans can rest assured that the company’s characteristic looks won’t be toned down by Toyota’s numbing influence. Toyota recently announced its intention to increase its interest in Subaru’s parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, to 16.5% from the its current holdings of 8.5%.
Speaking with MotorAuthority, Dominick Infante, national manager of product communications for Subaru of America said, "We're still designing our own products. With this new sports car that's coming about it'll be a Subaru chassis and engine. We think we'll be able to maintain the Subaru-ness of our products."
Infante indicated that though it is still too far out to talk about specifics, the Toyota-Subaru sports car is going to be a four-cylinder car, and that cars like the Hyundai Genesis Coupe would be in a larger segment.
The car will be built at a new factory setup for the purpose, and both companies will sell versions of it under their own brands. Subaru will reportedly be designing the platform, while Toyota will handle the exterior. Reports indicate the car is likely to be powered by a 2.0L boxer engine and will be available as both a coupe and three-door hatch.
It’s even possible the car could be offered in a high-performance configuration with Subaru’s Symmetric AWD and a 300hp engine, though these details are just speculation and have not been confirmed by Subaru or Infante.
There's also been some speculation that the RWD sports car might cut into sales of Subaru's existing line-up as it's usually considered a sportier, more enjoyable alternative. Infante doesn't see that happening.
"We believe it's going to be something that's smaller. It's going to be a two door. Obviously you're either a sedan or a hatch buyer when you're looking at the 5-door WRX or the 4-door sedan. We think it's a separate market," he said.
One thing that will appeal to many current Subaru owners and future buyers is a diesel engine option in the WRX. Though there is still no timeframe for the diesel WRX, Infante did speak warmly of its drivability, noting its quietness.
"At full throttle in this car it's designed to be very very quiet. That Subie thrum is still there but with the work that the engineers did on quieting the car you really only notice it at idle, under acceleration it's just really quiet in there," said Infante.
The potential fuel savings for the diesel WRX engine is one of its key selling points, and though Infante couldn't provide any specifics, he compared the car to the diesel-powered Outback, which achieves 38mpg on the highway, noting that the move to diesel results in "no small increase in fuel economy."
A hybrid would be another way to improve fuel economy, and thanks to the alliance with Toyota, Subaru now has access to leading edge technology that could soon make production reality.
Subaru is not afraid of Toyota’s influence - the company will remain a separate entity with its own design style and its own products. But that's not to say that the two companies won't be sharing technologies and resources.
"We think it's definitely a positive. We're already sharing engineers, and we can only benefit," said Infante.
A Subaru hybrid is also definitely in the works, but it's still too soon to get any specifics on what sort of vehicle it will be. Nevertheless, the company is sure all of its cars will maintain their characteristic Subaru quality into the future. Expect it to feature a signature symmetrical AWD system and seating for five.
Alongside its work with Toyota on a new hybrid, Subaru is also working on its own programs to lay the ground work for a pure electric car with its R1e program.
Although the R1e is not a product that will ever be sold to the public at large, it is a test bed for the sort of technology Subaru thinks will be necessary to develop a future where pure EVs and plug-in hybrids are a serious option for all driving needs.
One of the most interesting developments with the R1e project is the quick-charging station. Essentially a standalone unit, the chargers can top an EV up with a full charge of electrons in just 15 minutes. While that's about two or three times as long as it takes to put a full tank of petrol or diesel in a car, it's still a significant improvement on the overnight solutions now prominent. Even better, the system can be retrofitted to existing locations for quick and easy expansion of the infrastructure.
"Unlike hydrogen or something along those lines, these power stations can be put everywhere, hooked up to the regular grid," said Infante. "They'd probably cost about $30,000 to add these on. You could put them in the parking lot of an existing gas station. It's not that it needs all this great new technology, it's just essentially the interface that would have to be customized."
Reader Comments
Fri May 23 2008 1:41 AM
InkMaster says
Great article, looking forward to more :)
Fri May 23 2008 6:56 AM
burke says
...and as a result, the future American cars is Japanese, Korean, and European...
Fri May 23 2008 7:44 AM
chris says
subaru chassis, with toyota styling.. that could go one way or another. toyota styling is just about as boring as it gets in the mainstream market right now, but at least, I must admit, the designs are coherent. of toyota stylists can work on this subby as a sort of "pet project" that they can look at Sub's styling, and go crazy on that because theyve been pent up at toyota for so long.. then you could easily have a winner. my hope is that they some how take the ugly out of sub, without changing the overall characteristics.
I still wouldn't buy one, but I wont ruin it for everyone else. if the styling works, then you've got a winner. probably the most durable drive trains in the industry, coupled with some of the nicest interiors, and (boring yet) coherent designs. how could it go bad.
I also agree, that a 3 door or 2 door performance car is definitely in a different market than a 4 or 5 door. more specifically, especially if its significantly smaller. Everyone seems to forget how small "hot hatches" were when they first started coming out. our "small" hatchbacks today are really large in comparison. you make a 2 or 3 door version of a car that is that size, with the sort of power train you'd expect in a larger car... well.. lets put it this way.. i've been raving about a 3 door mazdaspeed2 or SVT fiesta,... it sounds like this is exactly what toyotaru is trying to do.
The deal about 15 minute charge times at a "quick fill" station is pretty useless all in all. I mean, yeah, 15 minute charging is spectacular but people will still say "man that is far too long.. i have to get moving.. plus if charge times are 15 minutes.. just imagine how long the lines will be to get a charge"... no. everyone seems to forget that EV's will be capable of charging at home. you'll plug in your car every night when you get home.. if you use it a lot,.. or every couple days.. just like your cell phone. and yes... just like your cell phone.. you'll forget to charge it once a month.. and end up midway through the day needing a charge. with 95% of people getting their cars charged at home... "gas" stations will be pretty barren.
and lets face it.. for the number of times that your cell phone goes dead when you're not near your charger.. you wouldnt even mind sitting around for 15 minutes waiting for your cell phone to fully charge would you? no big deal.. thats what I say. bring the EV's
Fri May 23 2008 9:45 AM
gojira says
I really hope that Subaru can maintain its uniqueness & not get sucked into ToyoCorp.
They are already as reliable as Hondas & Toyotas ... they have the AWD sporty vehicle niche pretty much covered ... the only thing they might need is something along the lines of Acura's SH-AWD.
Fri Jun 13 2008 3:03 PM
kimnort says
If you want a rear wheel drive sports car, you don't buy a subaru--I doubt you'd buy a hybrid. Its a shame that Subaru isn't developing the hybrid for the Impreza or Outback--the AWDs they are known for and there's a demand for a hybrid version.
Thu Jun 26 2008 11:38 PM
snowy woods says
The logical advantage of electric motors for Subaru is to spread the power around with AWD. Two small electric motors, front and back, might be step one. Another step one would be to keep a small boxer engine up front and add an e-motor in between the rear wheels. three or four even smaller motors would further improve efficiency by putting the power closer to the wheels and eliminating the gas-guzzling differentials my Forester has. Ultimately putting an e-motor on each wheel is optimal if it can be done cost-effectively. Computer control of the power distribution would replace todays differentials. This layout could be all electric with a big battery or hybrid with a one-speed diesel, flex-fuel, or hydrogen generator. Multiple motors would also improve safety and reliability, since you could still drive with one motor on the fritz.
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