Subaru Acquires 9 Million Shares In Toyota - New Alliance Is Now Complete

Subaru Corporation announced today it had completed the acquisition of Toyota Motor shares, fulfilling the agreement between the two automakers. In September of 2019, Toyota increased its stake in Subaru from 16.83 percent to 20 percent, further strengthening their long-term partnership. Today Subaru acquired 8,973,700 shares in Toyota Motor Corporation, worth approximately $675 million.

What does it mean for Subaru and its customers?

In the announcement today, the Japanese automakers say, “Subaru will continue its efforts to advance further and strengthen the long-term relationship between the two companies.” What does it mean for the next-generation Forester, Outback, and Ascent models?

Photo credit: motor.es

Subaru and Toyota have been in partnership since 2005, which was formed to develop new cars like the BRZ and GR86 sports coupe. The partnership will now move forward and create a platform dedicated to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and to jointly develop an all-electric SUV.

The new all-electric model will employ Subaru’s all-wheel-drive technologies and Toyota’s vehicle electrification technologies. The announcement made in September 2019 said, “Toyota and Subaru aim to pursue driving enjoyment in the CASE (connected, autonomous/automated, shared, and electric) era and to make ever-better cars beyond what either company has been able to achieve thus far.”

Photo credit: Design AG

Subaru customers will see more models using Toyota’s Hybrid system similar to the U.S. specification 2021 Subaru Crosstrek plug-in hybrid. Subaru will likely offer Forester, Outback, Ascent, Impreza, and Legacy, plug-in hybrid models in the next ten years.

Last year, Subaru announced by 2030, 40 percent of its global sales would come from electric vehicles (EVs) or hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). By the first half of the 2030s, the Japanese automaker also said all Subaru vehicles sold worldwide would have either hybrid power or all-electric technology.

Subaru’s general manager of overseas sales and marketing, Makoto Inoue, said recently, the Japanese automaker will introduce “strong hybrid” drivetrain technologies in the next five years: the brand’s new drivetrains for the foreseeable future.

With Subaru’s acquisition of Toyota shares complete, look for the next-generation Subaru Forester, Outback, and Ascent SUVs to have hybrid and plug-in hybrid technology. The first-ever 2022 Subaru all-electric SUV will arrive sometime next summer. Stay tuned.

You Might Also Like: Subaru’s All-New Electric SUV Preview - 5 Things Will Make It Distinctly Subaru

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: Budds Subaru