The New Subaru Pickup Fans Have Dreamed About? You’ll Have To Keep Waiting

Is it time for Subaru to build a new midsize pickup? As other automakers pick up the pace with new electric pickups, it makes sense for Subaru now. But customers will have to wait.

What is missing from Subaru of America's all-wheel-drive lineup? A new 2024 midsize Subaru pickup would fill out the Camden, N.J. automaker's lineup for its customer now that they have a 3-Row SUV. The Ascent was what Subaru's U.S. dealers asked for, and Subaru delivered.

Now it's time for Subaru Corporation to design, build, and bring a midsize pickup for its U.S. customers. A new report from Automotive News (by subscription) says Ford is working around the clock making new Lightning pickups. "The urgency to boost output for a product Ford executives say will define the company's future as much as the Model T did in its infancy highlights the massive stakes in the still-nascent electric pickup market."

photo credit: Volkswagen

Another Automotive News report says Volkswagen dealers in the U.S. have asked for a new pickup like the Volkswagen Tarok Concept shown at the 2019 New Your Auto Show. Volkswagen dealers have been asking for the new pickup for over a decade, but they are still waiting.

The Ascent 3-Row Family hauler was the last new vehicle Subaru designed for its U.S. customers, and it has been a success. Now that Subaru has discovered the new vehicle's flaws and fixed them, the SUV is on Consumer Reports' recommended vehicles list.

In Subaru Corporation's recent company report, Subaru said they would invest approximately 250 billion yen (1.9 billion dollars) over the next five years. Subaru says, "While accelerating electrification, we also look for other ways of contributing to a decarbonized society through internal combustion engines." At both of Subaru's plants, they will establish a high-efficiency, flexible production system.

Photo credit: Ascent-based midsize pickup - obw.adventures

Subaru fans would accept a pickup with a 2.4-liter turbocharged Boxer engine before the Japanese automaker brings a hybrid or electric pickup. Subaru says they are targeting the launch of in-house production of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) at the Yajima Plant around 2025 and the additional launch of a dedicated BEV production line at the Oizumi Plant in 2027 or later.

"We will keep taking market feedback seriously, linking it to our future electrification strategy. In parallel with these efforts, we have strategically begun restructuring our domestic production to respond to the market's transition to BEVs. As we evolve the Subaru difference, we will accelerate activities towards electrification based on our roadmap", says Subaru's report.

Subaru's roadmap says they plan to make at least 40 percent of its global sales BEVs or Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs). By the first half of the 2030s, they will apply electrification technologies to all Subaru vehicles sold worldwide.

The pickup market is hot, and the electric pickup market is heating up. Now that Subaru Corporation is building a dedicated EV plant, it will have the production capacity to create a new midsize pickup for its U.S. customers. It's time for Subaru to get in the game.

Would you buy a new Subaru midsize pickup? Let Subaru of America know in the comment section below.

You Might Also Like: 10 Things Subaru Won’t Change In 2023 And One They Should

Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report, where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Subaru Report - We’ve got you covered! Check back tomorrow for more unique, informative SUBARU news, reviews, and previews you can trust.

Leave your comments below, share the article with friends and tweet it out to your followers!

Photo credit: Volkswagen