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News - Subaru - Forester - HybridSubaru Aus details ‘Strong Hybrid’ strategyHybrid offerings to form key part of future Subaru range, more BEV choices lie ahead4 Apr 2025 By MATT BROGAN SUBARU Australia publicly debuted its sixth-generation Forester SUV at last week’s Melbourne Motor Show, the local favourite arriving with a greater choice of both petrol and hybrid powertrains, the latter introducing Subaru’s new ‘Strong Hybrid’ technology to the Australian portfolio.
Importantly, Strong Hybrid technology will form a more prevalent part of the Subaru range moving forward, the Japanese importer set to deliver a greater number of hybridised variants across its future line-up, including the next-generation Outback expected later this year.
Speaking with GoAuto at the local debut of the sixth-generation Forester, Subaru Australia general manager Scott Lawrence said customer feedback had helped to determine the ratio of petrol and hybrid vehicles offered across the incoming range.
“Strong Hybrid is about giving customers choice – that is why we have as an example the Forester Strong Hybrid alongside the Solterra EV,” he explained.
“Our priority is giving consumers choice. They are the ones who ultimately make the decision, and that is the reason we offer a multi-powertrain option in the new generation Forester.
“Customer feedback that we have delivered back to Subaru Corporation has been significant in the years leading up to the launch (of the new Forester), and we are very proud of that. The Australian market is incredibly important to Subaru Corporation.”
Subaru’s Strong Hybrid technology leans heavily on technology developed by partner Toyota Motor Corporation, combining Subaru’s 2.5-litre Boxer four-cylinder petrol engine with a Toyota-sourced electric motor and battery.
The system claims to offer fuel consumption reductions in the vicinity of 20 per cent when compared with Subaru’s current 2.0-litre mild hybrid driveline, and a driving range of up to 1000km from a single tank according to the car-maker.
While Mr Lawrence was not able to predict the ratio of petrol to hybrid Foresters sold moving forward, he suggested the Strong Hybrid template would likely move into other model lines as updates became available, including within the next-generation Outback range.
“We are working closely with Subaru Corporation on both ICE and electrified options for Australia,” he said.
“While it’s too early to say what the model walk might be, we can say that like Forester all variants will be very highly specified.
“Subaru Corporation has been very open with its strategy in terms of propulsion, and Strong Hybrid technology, as seen in the new-generation Forester, will form part of a broader plan that will see eight EVs arrive before 2028.”
Originally, Subaru had planned to launch four electric vehicles globally by 2026, but under revised plans will now offer eight models by 2028.
These include the already-released Solterra, and like that model, the newcomers will share Subaru’s newly developed e-Subaru Global Platform architecture.
Helping to achieve this, Subaru has penned a deal with Panasonic to deliver the volume of batteries required, a memorandum of understanding signed in August 2023 aimed at meeting the demands of a “rapidly expanding market”.
In all, Subaru aims to produce 600,000 pure electric vehicles per annum by the end of the decade, ultimately forming 50 per cent of its total global sales volume. The company plans to invest $US10.5 billion ($A17.4b) in battery electric vehicle development by the end of the decade.
“Broadly speaking, the strategy ahead is a multi-powertrain approach,” added Mr Lawrence.
“But how that shows up in each model range will depend on the respective market and is something we will share at a later date.”  Read more4th of April 2025  Subaru Forester details firm ahead of mid-year launchSixth-generation Subaru Forester to be offered in petrol and hybrid format, pricing TBC21st of February 2025  Subaru teases WRX tS Spec BManual only Subaru WRX tS Spec B slated for arrival this year23rd of January 2025  Ruggedised Subaru Forester snapped in USBlack plastic cladding dominates on new, more rugged Subaru Forester Wilderness |
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