They’re seeing something we cannot.
So Subaru, the Japanese carmaker that’s always been something of a fringe player in the market, has come to the conclusion that it needs to look into bringing hybrid options to our market soon, for some reason. Rather than pour money into, say, developing punchier turbocharged mills (hint hint), they think one of the ways they can gain more traction here is with hybrid powertrains.
Subaru argues that electrification is merely the next logical step for the marque, just like every other manufacturer. But prioritising hybrids for Australia seems really odd for us. They have it in their heads that the Australian government will (eventually) take a stand on vehicular emissions, and when they do, Subaru wants to be ready.
“We don’t have the exact dates, [and we’re] not sure which tech will go into the cars, but Subaru has made it clear that they are moving down the path of hybridisation and electric. I think it’s an absolute move in terms of environmental impact, fuel efficiency, and economy, but hybrids are still quite small-volume in the Australian market. But we see them as supplemental to out sales, so we will have our 2.5-litre direct-injection in the case of the Forester, and then the hybrid will be an incremental model.” — Colin Christie, General Manager (Sales), Subaru Australia
Christie spoke further to CarAdvice at the fringes of the New York auto show (where they launched the new-generation Subaru Forester), explaining that it’s a matter of when rather than if insofar as legislative action regarding vehicle emissions in Australia, particularly after Euro7 standards come into effect. The GM also went on to say that while legislative pressure will be one factor in offering hybrids Down Under, customer demand is another aspect that’s being considered.
“There are customers looking for more and more hybrid vehicles. Still relatively small numbers, but that will grow, and we are seeing more demand in some areas. But at the end of the day, it’s a ‘future tech’ story and a step towards electrification.” — Colin Christie, General Manager (Sales), Subaru Australia
We do at least have an inkling about what sort of hybrid technology we can expect from Subaru. Considering their close relationship with Toyota, a pioneer in petrol-electric hybrid powertrains, it’s likely that Subaru will give their 16.5% stakeholder a call and ask very nicely for a parallel hybrid system for them to play with. Should be interesting.
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