Spied: 2018 Subaru XV Crosstrek gets a new name and plug-in hybrid

The 2018 Subaru XV Crosstrek is getting a new name and new architecture. What changes are coming to the crossover?

The new 2018 Subaru XV Crosstrek has been spied in California by Auto Guide and the Japanese automaker is in the early stages of testing this mule. Subaru is making changes to the crossover and it’s getting a new name and new architecture. According to a report by Automotive News, Subaru will drop the XV part of the crossover's name later this year when the car gets a minor freshening and it will be called Crosstrek in the U.S. The crossover gets the XV name in other global markets.

Other changes coming for the 2018 Subaru Crosstrek will be part of Subaru’s “Prominence 2020” vision that will include a new Subaru Global Platform. Subaru will introduce a new modularized platform that will support every model from the Impreza compact to the new Crosstrek crossover. It will make its debut in the next-generation Impreza in 2016.

Subaru will further strengthen the brand with new products while keeping an eye on quality. Subaru boss Yasuyuki Yoshinaga said, "We want to be a company that may not be big in size but has distinctive character and high-quality products. We will enhance the Subaru brand." Subaru will be introducing a new plug-in hybrid model that will be a current model in their lineup. Sources say it will be the Subaru Crosstrek.

Subaru will introduce the plug-in hybrid for their largest market, the U.S., to meet U.S. zero-emissions regulations taking effect in 2018. The new plug-in hybrid will likely be the Crosstrek and will be based on Toyota's hybrid technology. Toyota owns a16.48 percent stake in parent company Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI).

The Subaru Crosstrek gas variant will also get direct injection soon. Subaru will be rolling out this next-generation boxer engine in the next few years. Subaru will also overhaul its powertrain technology, adding cylinder deactivation and lean combustion cycles by 2020, to meet more stringent emissions standards. Yoshinaga said Subaru wants engines “with thermal efficiency rates above 40 percent, which would top that of the engine in the Toyota Prius hybrid.”

The Crosstrek test mule front end also looks a lot like the newly remodeled WRX styling. The 2018 Subaru Crosstrek testing is in its early stages and it’s likely Subaru will introduce their new plug-in-hybrid technology in the popular Crosstrek crossover in late 2017 as a 2018 model. Stay tuned.

Media and image source: AutoGuide-used by permission