There's fresh hope that Subaru Australia could add the Ascent large SUV to its local line-up to take on the likes of the Toyota Kluger and Kia Sorento, despite years of rejection.

The local operation's former chief, Colin Christie, told CarsGuide in April, 2020 that the Ascent was unlikely to make it Down Under as it isn't available in right-hand drive from the US factory that builds it. However, current Subaru Australia managing director, Blair Read, struck a more optimistic tone in a recent interview, making it clear that the Ascent remains on the local agenda.

"Always on the wish-list," Read said. "A work-in-progress."

He added that the issue remained the same as when Christie was unable to secure it - the lack of right-hand-drive production.

"The plain issue with getting Ascent is it's built in America, in left-hand drive, and their demand is out-stripping their production capacity. So, to get that here, that's as simple as the challenge gets," Read explained.

However, despite this being the current situation, Read made it clear that should US supply either increase or demand decrease and production capacity becomes available, getting the Ascent built in right-hand drive in the USA is definitely an option, as was the case with its predecessor, the ill-fated Tribeca.
 

 
Tribeca was [like] that," Read said. "Tribeca was right-hand drive and built in the States."

Adding the Ascent would fill a crucial missing piece for Subaru and has the potential to dramatically increase the brand's local sales. The Outback is already the fourth best-selling 'large SUV' in Australia, but adding a taller, more-direct rival to the likes of the Kluger and Sorento would be a boost for the brand and fit nicely with its SUV-heavy line-up.

Read clearly sees the potential.

"It's something we keep working on," Read said. "No news at this point, but something that would be an opportunity."

Unlike the five-seat Outback, the Ascent is available with seven- or eight-seater layouts in the US. It sits on the same Subaru Global Platform as likes of the Outback and Forester and is powered by a 2.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine that makes 190kW/376Nm.
 
This info and more can be found at: https://www.carsguide.com.au/

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Hybrids and EVs will represent 40% of its output by 2030

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In a surprise announcement, Subaru says they will have an all-EV lineup by the mid-2030s. Are you ready for all-electric Forester, Outback and Ascent models?

Subaru Corporation needs to keep up with the global EV revolution and they have just announced a plan to do it. Subaru Corporation held a press briefing today spelling out their electrification plans and there are many changes coming for the Japanese automaker. President Tomomi Nakamura says Subaru will move quickly toward its long-term goal of a carbon-free society, setting a target to sell only electric vehicles worldwide by the first half of the 2030s.

Some things won’t be changing. Nakamura says in the midst of a once-in-a-century period of “profound transformation”, Subaru will stay true to its core values of using horizontally-opposed “Boxer” engines, all-wheel-drive (AWD) technologies, superior driving performance, and safety (EyeSight driver assist).

He went on to say, in this new era of mobility, the Subaru brand will strive to remain “different from other brands”, and will further hone the distinctive qualities that make a Subaru a Subaru, and will “maintain the unique attributes our customers have come to expect.”

With Toyota increasing its stake in Subaru to 20 percent, customers can look for Subaru to develop a new hybrid vehicle using Toyota technology that will debut later in the decade. Subaru did not say if the hybrid would be an existing nameplate like Outback or Forester. Chief Technology Officer Tetsuo Onuki said at the briefing, "Although we're using Toyota technology, we want to make hybrids that are distinctly Subaru.”

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Even more changes are coming as Subaru will also collaborate with Toyota to develop its first all-electric all-wheel-drive vehicle for release around the same time (later this decade). This will be a vehicle that is distinctively a Subaru.

Other details emerged from the announcement, and Subaru spelled out the following long-term goals moving the global agenda towards achieving a carbon-free society.

By 2030, 40 percent of all Subaru global sales will come from electric vehicles (EVs) or hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). By the first half of the 2030s, all Subaru vehicles sold worldwide will have either hybrid power or all-electric technology. Subaru Corporation will reduce its CO2 emissions from new vehicles (in operation) sold worldwide by 90 percent or more by 2050 compared to 2010 levels.

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In addition to its commitment to sell only electric vehicles worldwide by the first half of the 2030s, Subaru will also reduce emissions at its factories and offices to 30 percent below 2017 levels by 2031.

Customers can look for new hybrid and all-electric all-wheel vehicles to arrive soon, and existing nameplates like Outback wagon, Forester compact SUV, and Ascent family hauler models will be electrified by the first half of the 2030s.

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This info and more can be found at: https://www.torquenews.com/