The expansion of the Japanese firm’s line-up is part of an £8 billion electrification investment package, which will result in seven new EVs being introduced worldwide – three of which will be SUVs developed with technical partner and 20% stakeholder Toyota, as was the bZ4X-based Solterra.
Subaru UK managing director Lorraine Bishton, appointed in January after stints at Ford, JLR and McLaren, provided no further details but said the EVs will stay true to the brand’s core values: “Safe, tough and fun.”
In keeping with the current Subaru line-up (the Crosstrek, Forester and Solterra SUVs and the Outback estate), all future additions are expected to be practicality-focused high-rise hatchbacks, most likely with four-wheel drive, as that has been identified as a particular point of appeal for the brand’s core demographic.
Subaru has 65 dealerships across the UK, “mainly rurally based because that’s where our customers are”, said Bishton, “and they tend to be a family-run business”.
Some of these dealers are recognised as “pillars of their community”, she added. “Their customers know who they are and they trust them.”
The close relationship between its dealers and customers will be crucial to the success of Subaru’s upcoming EVs because of the extra support they can provide throughout that process.
“We often get asked that question about moving to an agency [retail] model,” said Bishton, “but actually we think, particularly as we’re going through a period of EV adoption, customers need support. They need people that they trust, who they’ve known a long time, to help them on that journey.”
As a testament to the efficacy of the wholesale retail model, Bishton highlighted that the Solterra now accounts for 27% of Subaru’s UK sales, putting it well clear of the 22% EV sales mix that it needs to achieve this year in line with the UK government’s new zero emissions vehicle mandate.
