Subaru to introduce all-electric crossover by 2021, report says

TOKYO -- Subaru plans to launch an all-wheel-drive electric crossover in the U.S. by 2021 to meet more stringent emissions regulations, a Japanese newspaper reported.

The Japanese brand aims to release a midsize awd vehicle based on its Forester or Outback crossover, Japan’s Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun reported Aug. 8, without identifying the source of the information.

The new model is expected to ride on the new global platform Subaru’s parent, Fuji Heavy Industries, unveiled earlier this year, the paper said.

That platform will be used for a range of revamped models, starting with the redesigned Impreza small car that was introduced this year.

Fuji Heavy spokesman Masato Saito said the company has not made any decisions about introducing an all-electric, all-wheel drive vehicle.

“We have yet to decide on any specifics at the moment,” Saito said.

But if Subaru does introduce such a product, it would likely use the new platform and target the North America market, Saito said.

The new platform, dubbed the Subaru Global Platform, will underpin all of the brand’s nameplates going forward. It is designed to accommodate gasoline, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric drivetrains.

With a lineup heavy in awd crossovers, Subaru is trying to boost fuel efficiency to meet increasingly demanding regulations in the United States, its biggest market.

The company has already disclosed plans to introduce its first plug-in hybrid to meet U.S. zero emissions vehicle regulations that take effect in 2018.