In the past year, Toyota and Subaru collaborated to bring us the bZ4X and Solterra electric SUVs. Since then, there has been steady speculation about further collaborations between the automakers, but nothing concrete had been announced.
While there’s still nothing concrete to go on, new reports have the two companies indeed collaborating on another all-electric SUV. According to Nikkei Asia, the two companies will launch a new vehicle with production scheduled to start in January 2026.
This time, rather than the model coming out of a Toyota-operated factory, it will be assembled on an assembly line at Subaru's Yajima site.
In contrast with the previous collaboration, which involved starting from scratch, this time the new models will borrow elements from existing designs, this In order to accelerate development and reduce costs.
The goal is to produce between 15,000 and 20,000 units per month.
And good news for our market: both models are intended for North America, as well as Europe and Japan. They could also be sold in other markets.
What we don't know yet is the positioning of the products in their respective ranges. We can only hope for a less expensive entry-level model.
Here’s another wish: for the vehicles to offer increased range so the models can be competitive in their segment. The shortcomings of the bZX4 and Solterra have cost them on the market. Toyota sold 13,577 units of the bZ4X in the first nine months of 2024, while Subaru sold 9,137 of its Solterra. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 (30,818), Kia EV6 (15,985) and Prologue (14,179) have all done better to date.
More to come?
But all this could be just the beginning. Earlier this year, Toyota and Subaru indicated they would be working on three other electric models in addition to the bZ4X/Solterra. Like the new model due in 2026, the other two will also be SUVs. If production of the new product does indeed begin in January 2026, official revelations from Toyota and Subaru should take place in the second half of next year.
In the meantime, automakers will continue to focus on combustion engines. A few months ago, a joint conference by the automakers - which Mazda also took part in - announced new and improved internal combustion engines.
Original content from auto123.
