Subaru Solterra EV crossover set for mid-2022 launch

TOKYO -- Subaru has tapped the name Solterra for its first mass-market electric vehicle, saying the new battery-powered crossover will go on sale by mid-2022 in the U.S.

Subaru Corp. unveiled the new moniker on Tuesday while announcing fiscal fourth quarter earnings. The upcoming EV crossover is being jointly developed with Toyota Motor Corp., which unveiled its own version of the vehicle, the bZ4X, at last month's Shanghai auto show.

Subaru said the Solterra will be built on a dedicated EV platform called e-Subaru Global Platform, echoing Toyota' name for the underpinnings, e-Toyota New Global Architecture.

The new vehicle leverages Subaru's strength in all-wheel-drive technology and Toyota's strength in electrification, the company said in a release. The platform can underpin a variety of vehicle types.

Subaru said the Solterra will also go on sale by the middle of 2022 in Canada, Europe, China and Japan.

The vehicle's name is derived from the Latin words sol for sun and terra for earth.

"Subaru gave this name to the EV to appreciate mother nature and further advance the form of coexistence with it," Subaru said.