Out of left field, and some Toyota factories, Subaru is offer more electric models in its showrooms than Tesla.
A three-row Subaru SUV that is electric is inbound with an imminent debut. The Japanese automaker’s been quiet about the upcoming SUV without so much as a teaser, but Jeff Walters, COO of Subaru of America, told Automotive News the Japanese company will have a yet-to-be-revealed three-row EV in its showrooms this year.
That three-row EV? It’s going to be a reskinned and rebadged electric Toyota Highlander. We are all about to get a preview of what Subaru has cooking as the electric Highlander debuts Tuesday, February 10.
The electric Subaru three-row SUV, along with the electric Toyota Highlander and a yet-to-be-named Lexus variant, will all be built in Kentucky at Toyota’s Georgetown factory.
The Drive reached out to Subaru for comment and a spokesperson said, “we can’t comment on future product.”
The unnamed three-row Subaru SUV will be the automaker’s fourth EV. The Solterra, the automaker’s first EV and a reskinned version of the Toyota bZ, is about to be joined by the Trailseeker and Uncharted. The former is a wagon version of the Solterra and reskin of the Toyota bZ Woodland while the latter is a small hatch-like SUV that is a reskin of the Toyota CH-R.
Walters said Subaru will focus its EV efforts on households with two vehicles and access to a charger.
The electric three-row Subaru SUV is expected to feature Toyota controls and software, but to date, the Solterra’s offered a better value and user experience than its Toyota siblings. We’ll have to wait to see how the extension of this partnership unfolds, but consumers are about to have more choice in the electric marketspace.
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As Director of Content and Product, Joel draws on over 15 years of newsroom experience and inability to actually stop working to help ensure The Drive shapes the future of automotive media. He’s also a World Car Award juror.
