When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Subaru has released the first official details about the electric crossover it's developing jointly with Toyota. About the size of a RAV4, the EV will be called Solterra when it goes on sale in select markets halfway through 2022.
Solterra blends the words sol and terra, which mean sun and earth, respectively, in Latin. Subaru chose this name "to appreciate mother nature and further advance the form of coexistence with it," and to stress that going electric isn't an excuse to shift away from the off-road capability and the ruggedness it's known for. We doubt the Solterra will arrive as a hardcore off-roader, but it should be more comfortable off the pavement than the average crossover.
Subaru released a pair of preview images to give us an early look at the model. One shows the emblems the firm will put on the crossover's rear hatch, including an "EV" badge that announces the zero-local-emissions drivetrain. More revealing, the second shows the outline of a soft-roader with what looks like a relatively tall and sharp front end, angular headlights with LED accents, and a surprisingly rakish C-pillar. Finer design details (like the grille) are intentionally hidden, but we can already see a strong family resemblance will link the Solterra to Toyota's BZ4X.
Both crossovers are being designed jointly by Subaru and Toyota, and they'll ride on a modular platform also developed by the two partners. It's reasonable to assume they'll be made in the same factory, too.
Neither company has released technical information, so figures such as range, horsepower, acceleration, and charging times are under wraps. All we know is that all-wheel drive (through-the-road, presumably) will be available.
More details about the Subaru Solterra will emerge in the next few months. We're expecting the EV will make its full debut before the end of 2021, and it will begin arriving in showrooms in the summer of 2022, likely as a 2023 model. America is one of its target markets, but pricing information won't be announced until closer to its on-sale date.
I think Toyota is the smartest person in the room, let the EV market settle. Then, bring out your first electric vehicle and use three different brands that sell it. Price it in the heart of the market. And have alternatives like a RAV4 prime, or a RAV4 hybrid, and then I have other alternatives like a Highlander Highlander hybrid, and an upcoming Highlander prime. Very smart thinking
The marketing machine at full stride
Originally Posted by Hoovey2411
The Solterra and bZ4X look very close to production. I'm very curious if the Subaru version will be only AWD or offer a FWD/RWD base model
I think Toyota is the smartest person in the room, let the EV market settle. Then, bring out your first electric vehicle and use three different brands that sell it. Price it in the heart of the market. And have alternatives like a RAV4 prime, or a RAV4 hybrid, and then I have other alternatives like a Highlander Highlander hybrid, and an upcoming Highlander prime. Very smart thinking
Please explain to my feeble brain what that means.....
I prefer the exterior of the Yota! Can't wait to drive one.
As expected, it looks terrible inside and out unfortunately. We are all waiting for the most important stuff, range, cost, and power. I'm praying it won't be D.O.A. like Mazda's new EV, but something tells me it will.
As expected, it looks terrible inside and out unfortunately. We are all waiting for the most important stuff, range, cost, and power. I'm praying it won't be D.O.A. like Mazda's new EV, but something tells me it will.
Even the much maligned UX300e was already worlds better than the head-scratcher that is the MX-30; so one would hope a dedicated EV platform would produce better specs than Toyota's last attempt at an EV.
I think the ID.4 laid the foundation of what the general specs and pricing range of these upcoming EVs will be like (Solterra, b4ZX, Nissan's Ariya et al), so I would be very surprised if they differ too much. The biggest question would be, can they get the battery supply to produce enough to meet the demand?
05-11-21, 09:22 AM
Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra
