Although late to the game, Subaru will make a push for battery-powered cars over the next few years. Instead of designing new vehicles from scratch, the automaker is considering electric versions of its existing models.
Such a strategy would eliminate the need for Subaru to partner with another automaker on EV development, said Subaru Corp. CEO Yasuyuki Yoshinaga in an interview with Bloomberg. Buyers would also benefit from increased selection in the automaker’s current model range.
“If there’s already an attractive Subaru model, for example the XV crossover, and if a customer in Beijing wants one but is only allowed to buy an electric vehicle, if there’s no electric version then he can’t buy it,” he said. “Providing the choice of an EV means the customer can still desire the same Subaru.”
Subaru will offer a plug-in hybrid model next year followed by a pure EV by 2021. It’s increasing its R&D budget to 134 billion yen, roughly $1.2 billion, in the next 12 months through March 2018 as it begins to compete in the electrified market. That’s nothing compared to bigger players like Honda, which will invest 750 billion yen this fiscal year in R&D, and its cousin Toyota, which is spending 1.05 trillion yen.
But it’s possible Subaru will change its mind and offer a stand-alone EV. Subaru doesn’t have to make a final ruling on whether or not to partner with other automakers on an electric vehicle until about a year from now, Yoshinaga noted.
Other than electrification technologies, the EyeSight driver assistance system takes up the next biggest chunk of Subaru’s R&D money. The system will receive an update this year to allow for autonomous following of a car in highway traffic, and in 2020, Subaru hopes to add fully autonomous highway driving including lane changing.
Source: Bloomberg
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