Subaru is set to bring two new electrified models to this year’s Geneva Motor Show, and will be the company’s first to be offered in Europe, according to Autocar. The as-yet unspecified pairing will wear ‘e-boxer’ branding, and are likely to be variants part of an existing model line-up rather than all-new, standalone models.
Currently, the XV Hybrid is the latest electrified Subaru model, and is the first to feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain the company calls ‘StarDrive’. The system is made up of a FB20 2.0 litre four-cylinder boxer petrol engine (137 hp and 182 Nm), which is paired with a Lineartronic CVT that integrates two electric motors within it. The e-motors are linked to a 8.8 kWh, 25 Ah litihum-ion battery, the latter capable of being recharged via a charging station.
Subaru’s stable of electrified models also include the Forester e-Boxer and XV e-Boxer, which lack any plug-in option and have smaller batteries. These cars’ powertrains see a 145 PS/188 Nm direct-injection, naturally aspirated boxer-four petrol being mated to a 13.6 PS/65 Nm electric motor, which is integrated into the Lineartronic CVT gearbox. Electricity is drawn from a 4.8 Ah lithium-ion battery located under the boot floor.
The Subaru Global Platform currently underpins the XV, Impreza and Forester; these, then, will be most likely to be among the models to step forward as hybrids at the Geneva show.
Elsewhere, Subaru is due to unveil a new Outback, following the debut of the seventh-generation Legacy. Further afield, the next-generation WRX STI could also adopt electrification with a plug-in hybrid setup, as the current, long-running EJ25 2.5 litre turbo four will no longer be able to meet tightening emissions regulations.
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