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Subaru Corporation officially joined the Toyota Motor group according to a filing made in Japan today. Toyota increased its stake in Subaru Corporation from 16.83 percent to 20 percent which means a strengthening of their ties. The announcement was made last September, and a report from Nippon in Japan revealed it is now official.
What will the expanded partnership mean for Subaru models like the 2020 Outback, Forester, Crosstrek, and Ascent?
This is what won’t happen. Subaru will not be absorbed into Toyota Motor and become a fully owned subsidiary at least not in the immediate future. But Seeking Alpa says Subaru is expected to become “an affiliated company of Toyota down the road.” They won’t be building more vehicles together that will share identical styling but have different nameplates like the Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86 sport coupes. But big changes are coming to Subaru.
Existing Subaru models like 2020 Outback will be getting hybrid power
What it will mean is Toyota’s larger stake will create new opportunities for the much smaller Subaru with its existing models and new models will be coming. Subaru announced recently, by 2030, 40 percent of all Subaru global sales will come from electric vehicles (EVs) or hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). By the first half of the 2030s, all Subaru vehicles sold worldwide will have some form of hybrid power or all-electric technology. Subaru will need Toyota’s hybrid technology to do this.
What does the increased Toyota stake mean for SUV shoppers?
The newly-increased partnership will bring more new all-wheel-drive models like the Crosstrek Plug-In Hybrid launched last year. Subaru will be able to expand the use of the Toyota Hybrid System in other Subaru models like the Outback, Forester, and Ascent models.
The Subaru Forester will keep its unique identity
Both Subaru and Toyota believe this increased stake will help them build better automobiles for their customers. Subaru says, "In this once-in-a-century period of profound transformation, by strengthening our bonds and aligning capabilities, we aim to make ever-better cars, better than what either company has been able to achieve thus far.”
More changes are coming as Subaru will also collaborate with Toyota to develop its first all-electric all-wheel-drive vehicle for release sometime around 2030. This all-new vehicle will be distinctively a Subaru.
Watch this video report discussing the benefits of keeping your old Subaru Outback vs buying the 2020 model and click to subscribe to Torque News for daily automotive news analysis.
Subaru models will be different from Toyota
Subaru President Tomomi Nakamura says they will strive to remain “different from (Toyota)”, and will further hone the distinctive qualities that make a Subaru a Subaru and will “maintain the unique attributes our customers have come to expect.” Those core values are all-wheel-drive, a rugged “go-anywhere” attitude, fun-to-drive, and safety will remain a priority.
Some things won’t be changing for Subaru, but the expanded Toyota partnership will bring an all-electric all-wheel vehicle that will arrive by the end of this decade. Big changes are coming to existing nameplates like the 2020 Outback wagon, Forester compact SUV, and Ascent family hauler models. They will be electrified with hybrid or plug-in hybrid technology by the first half of the 2030s.
You Might Also Like: The New 2021 Subaru Complete Model Change Preview
Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a variety of roles. All of his reports are archived on our Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Subaru Report. Check back tomorrow for more Subaru news and updates at Torque News!
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Photo credit: Subaru USA
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Comments
So maybe I'll only be buying
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So maybe I'll only be buying one more Subaru, at least one more new one. I'll be done when they go electric. I wont own a electric car
Get rid of Subaru's crappy
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Get rid of Subaru's crappy boxer engine design. Over rated, underpowered, problems with overheating oil consumption is their reputation and they still can handle the problem. Did head gaskets twice on my 2011 Subaru before it hit 80000 miles. 1st and last Subaru I will ever buy.
I heard if you do not use the
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In reply to Get rid of Subaru's crappy by Andrew S. Dudzic (not verified)
I heard if you do not use the correct Subaru coolant excessive heat causes issues with the head gaskets. I am not sure about oil because my 2019 Subaru Forester uses either 0w 20 synthetic or 5 w 30 conventional?
Hopefully they bring back the
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Hopefully they bring back the Baja
Subaru needs to put the gas
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Subaru needs to put the gas tank on the driver side. Mire women are traveling alone now and there are times when needing gas and having to stop at a "not all that save" place makes being on the passenger side of the vehicle less safe. I chose not to buy a Subaru opting for the Toyota for that exact reason.
If you are getting gas at a
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In reply to Subaru needs to put the gas by Lynn Ciavarini (not verified)
If you are getting gas at a "not all that safe place" it doesn't matter what side of the car the gas door is on.
That response is narrow
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In reply to If you are getting gas at a by Arcee (not verified)
That response is narrow minded and worthless ., You obviously have never left a city.
Wow, you are a car salesman's
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In reply to Subaru needs to put the gas by Lynn Ciavarini (not verified)
Wow, you are a car salesman's dream. Heck, I saw dollar signs when I read this post, and I don't sell cars.
Then you are the type that
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In reply to Wow, you are a car salesman's by Sarah Nevin (not verified)
Then you are the type that needs a man ot do everything for you. Glad to see so many people that criticize rather than opening up your minds.
PLEASE TOYOTA MAKE A PROPER 6
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PLEASE TOYOTA MAKE A PROPER 6 or 7 speed gearbox for subaru. They refuse to invest in anything but the souless cvt. Drove my mothers and I couldnt stand the rubberbanding
Hope Toyota will not be the
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Hope Toyota will not be the next "Nissan" with their inferior quality transmissions BUT the newer Camry 8 speeds definitely do not perform like their older 6 speed AT transmissions especially in California's dangerous freeways and highways.
time to put the 2JZ into my
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time to put the 2JZ into my RS2.5
Please help Subaru's quality
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Please help Subaru's quality Toyota! Bought a new 2013 Outback 2.5 premium. We are now on our 3rd engine and our 2nd CVT! Took a 1,300 mile trip to Florida with around 20,000 miles on it. It burned over a quart of oil going down and then over another quart coming back. Subaru corporate said that it was normal oil consumption! Well, shortly after I found the class action lawsuit against them for oil consumption. Twice the Subaru dealer over filled the oil before the oil consumption test! Why? Not to hard to measure oil. The 3rd engine does use less oil and I hope it lasts. Also, around 100,000 miles a bearing went on the CVT! Those were made as throw-away transmissions with no fluid changes originally recommended in the service books. Fortunately, all covered under warranties even though I had to fight for the new engines. Will not buy another Subaru unless Toyota, which now owns 20%, can turn the quality around.
CVT issues were fixed in 2016
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In reply to Please help Subaru's quality by nicholas (not verified)
CVT issues were fixed in 2016 or 2017; there aren't really issues with them anymore, at least, they have statistically the same reliability as AT and MT trans. I have a 2017 FXT and beat it silly off road, but it performs admirably. Wish they came with an intercooler in America like they do in Australia and UK. That makes it much better to drive off road, on steep hills, towing, etc. All in all, the CVTs in the newer Subarus do well, and stats/personal experience both reflect this.
lol the fact that CVT issues…
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In reply to CVT issues were fixed in 2016 by John Greene (not verified)
lol the fact that CVT issues were listed as having major issues in 19, 20, 21 and 23.
Get off the internet and go to your algebra homework.
You wanna talk about Subaru’s
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In reply to Please help Subaru's quality by nicholas (not verified)
You wanna talk about Subaru’s quality, Toyota has always cheaped out on accessories and interior and some might say even front grills would crack easily. You see people like you need to think before you speak because for someone who works on a Toyota 5 days a week all day I’d say that the interiors are bland and feel cheep and their is a lot of hard plastics.
How I can find the owner
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How I can find the owner contact? It’s Carbone Subaru of Troy NY.
I appreciate if you can help me.
I don’t understand the push
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I don’t understand the push for EV. I don’t know a single person who wants one now or plans to own one in the future. I sure as heck don’t want one.
I don’t understand the push
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I don’t understand the push for EV. I don’t know a single person who wants one now or plans to own one in the future. I sure as heck don’t want one.
I would love to see the E…
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I would love to see the E-CVT transmission used in Toyota hybrids introduced in Subaru hybrid or plug in hybrid offerings. I own a 2018 limited legacy and purchased it with a 10 year 100 k mile extended Subaru warranty because I needed a car quickly but at the same time I was aware of Subaru CVT issues and the fact that Subaru extended the CVT warranty to 100k miles reinforced that point and even though I changed the CVT fluid at 60k miles, and love the car in every way otherwise unfortunately don't feel too confident about owning it beyond 100k which is a shame. If Subaru decides to go the E-CVT route, i will definitely consider any of their hybrid offerings in the future, but I hope they also go the EV route too.
When I was an Automotive…
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When I was an Automotive Engineer back in the 2000s we were told then that the Automotive companies would eventually consolidate under 4 large umbrella conglomerates, otherwise they wouldn’t survive.
….
One was a Toyota conglomerate, another a Fiat conglomerate another was a VW/Mercedes conglomerate, and the final one was a Ford conglomerate.
There was no GM or Chrysler indicated, which we thought couldn’t happen, but decades later, it’s appearing more likely..
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These conglomerates, we thought would own the smaller organizations, however it now appears they will be stakeholders, holding only a lower percentage of the stocks opposed to 51%. This approach makes sense as it allows the conglomerates to drop any organization which becomes deadwood, without incurring a major loss.