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If you want a 2023 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, you better act quickly. A new report from Nikkei Asia revealed Subaru of America will drop the 2023 Crosstrek Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) after this year. The report says Subaru Corporation will halt the development of the Crosstrek PHEV to focus on new electric and hybrid vehicles.
Why is Subaru dropping the Crosstrek Plug-In Hybrid?
Slow sales are one reason why Subaru of America (SOA) chose to drop the Crosstrek PHEV. SOA only sold 2,600 Crosstrek Hybrids in the U.S. last year (less than 1% of Subaru's unit sales in the country, according to data from auto research specialist MarkLines.) Subaru has only sold 1,731 Crosstrek hybrid models in the U.S. through the first nine months of 2022.
Isn't the Crosstrek hybrid fuel efficient?
The 2022 Subaru Crosstrek hybrid gets better fuel mileage than the gas models. In Consumer Reports testing, the plug-in Hybrid gets 38/45 city/highway MPGe and 42 combined MPGe. The EPA says the Crosstrek Hybrid gets an estimated 90 MPGe combined city/highway using electric and gas and 35 mpg combined city/highway using regular gas.
What is the fuel mileage of the standard Crosstrek?
The Subaru Crosstrek uses direct injection on its new 2.5-liter four-cylinder Boxer engine and gets 27/34 city/highway mpg and 29 combined mpg. The 2.0-liter engine gets 28/33 mpg and 30 combined mpg with the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) automatic, contributing to better mileage. Subaru increased fuel mileage in the new 2023 Crosstrek using a four-cylinder Boxer engine with direct-injection technology.
The Crosstrek Plug-in Hybrid is fuel-efficient, so why doesn't Subaru sell more PHEV models? The Crosstrek Hybrid is only readily available in some states. The 2023 Crosstrek Plug-In Hybrid sells in every state, but customers who want the hybrid model must wait in most U.S. states when ordering.
The problem is the cost
What is the price of the 2023 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid?
The 2023 Crosstrek Hybrid has a starting price of $38,070, which includes destination and delivery fees ($1,225). You can buy a 2023 Subaru Crosstrek Premium trim for $26,020, including dealer fees, which is $12,050 less than the Hybrid trim level. Customers aren't willing to pay for the difference in fuel mileage.
What is Subaru’s plan after the Crosstrek PHEV?
Subaru announced they will begin making their own EVs in mixed production with internal combustion vehicles at its Yajima plant in Japan by 2025. Automotive News says Subaru will begin offering hybridized powertrains sourced from Toyota by 2025.
Subaru Corporation is investing $1.8 billion to develop a new factory in Japan starting in 2027. Subaru will build a dedicated EV factory on the site of its Oizumi plant in Japan and produce its new battery-electric (BEV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). Subaru says by 2030, at least 40 percent of Subaru's global sales will be BEVs or HEVs.
The next-generation 2024 Subaru Crosstrek could be the first new hybrid electric vehicle Subaru develops. Subaru will need to price the new hybrid model closer to the standard models and make it affordable for customers. We expect to see the new Crosstrek HEV model by 2025.
The 2023 Subaru Crosstrek will be the last Plug-In Hybrid Subaru Corporation will produce for Subaru of America. If you want one, you should contact a Subaru retailer quickly.
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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.
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Comments
How do you call low sales a
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How do you call low sales a demand issues if there's a wait list to get one?
That's pretty clearly a supply issue causing the low sales. I'd the issue was demand I could go look at 5 new ones and drive one home today.
The demand comes from the
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In reply to How do you call low sales a by N/A (not verified)
The demand comes from the dealer's multi million dollar investment in showroom stock. If they don't think they will sell fast, you will need to order it from the factory
Subaru only offered this car
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Subaru only offered this car for sale in 10 states. We had to go out of state to even buy one and there was still a multi-month waiting list. It's definitely not a demand issue. Subaru chose to not make this car available to most of the customers who want it.
I had a 2022 Subaru Crosstrek
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I had a 2022 Subaru Crosstrek Plug In Hybrid on order from April 2022 until late November when I canceled the order, It just wasn’t getting produced nor were any available for the NY/NJ market
Love my 2020 Crosstrek PHEV,
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Love my 2020 Crosstrek PHEV, which I bought used because I couldn’t get a new Crosstrek PHEV. Crazy that they say there isn’t demand when buyers are told that their dealer cannot even get one allocated to them. PHEVs are great because they cover most of a normal day’s mileage and still let you drive much farther in a day on a long trip than an all-EV can do. Sorry to hear Subaru would drop this.
My 2013 Crosstrek with 152
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My 2013 Crosstrek with 152,000 miles on it, only gets 22 to 23 MPG. I like the car, so a couple years ago I checked out the hybrid model. The EPA MPG sticker was only several MPG better than my Crosstrek's EPA sticker but a lot more expensive. There simply wasn't any economics in upgrading. I've learned that the actual MPG won't be close to the sticker. When I bought the Crosstrek in 2013, I also noticed that owners' complaints about the mileage, also quickly disappeared from the internet.
The biggest disappointment
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The biggest disappointment here with the plug-in hybrid is that it’s a “plug-in”… why do I want to have to do a search and rescue on my car to find someplace to plug it in when I’m traveling~? Why would I be interested in taking more time out of my busy day to sit some place having to charge my car. I would rather have the regenerative break battery charging than a plug in any day. Plugging your car in is not practical if you’re driving long distances. If you’re just going to the store and back it’s fine but, I pack miles on my car and I don’t want to have to stop someplace and charge the car for a half an hour 45 minutes. That is a big time investment. When you start adding up the amount of time in the course of a year that your car is charging at a plug-in, it’s a considerable amount of time. It’s just not worth the inconvenience even if you’re getting a little bit better gas mileage… I used to have a Toyota Prius V. The turning radius on that car was phenomenal and you had nearly 360° visual with no Blindspots~ Learning how to drive the car was a bit of an adjustment but, I could pull 45 miles to 60 miles to the gallon. Everytime I used the brake the battery would charge~ Plus the interior space was massive~
All of that really spoiled me… unfortunately they discontinued making the Prius V in 2017. The one down point of that car was that the tires wore thru more than other vehicles that I have had but, the fuel savings were so substantial, those savings in themselves paid for the new tires. Prior to the Prius V, I had a Subaru legacy with a moonroof and a sunroof. It was a manual, and that car was fire…! I could take that thing off Road, through logging roads, on the beach… most comfy car ever and it was a manual: I got above average gas mileage because it was a stick. The only trouble I ever had with that car was changing the clutch once but, I got over 300,000 miles on the car. I was really a sad day when I had to give that car up but, the dealership had the Prius V and I took it for a test drive. The gas mileage, the under encumbered visibility and the unparalleled steering radius, (as well as the quietness of the car), sold me. The idea of having to plug my car in is about as attractive as having to plug my phone in… Annoying time waster~ Future problems I ponder: every year or every couple of years there’s suddenly a new cord, plug replacements, having to get special home plug in components, location of plugs ins and availability… and it’s something else that can go wrong on the car… You spend a lot of time charging your car. Especially if you’re moving around a lot. You have to live a certain kind of lifestyle where you are able to plug the car in: when you’re at home and sleeping. People that have an active life or travel long distances may find it very inconvenient to have to plug the car in every couple of hours of driving. It’s going to affect how you travel especially if you’re going between states where there’s great distances and no place to plug your car in. Then what are you do~? It’s a special needs car and they charge you a premium price for they~ I don’t know about other people, but that’s why I would never buy a plug-in highbred. It is just not a practical car choice and it costs more~ Expecting you to pay more for something more inconvenient to run/charge and less practical to drive isn’t attractive~ (especially in these higher cost of living times).
If you are trying to figure
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In reply to The biggest disappointment by Tyger (not verified)
If you are trying to figure out how to plug in your plug-in hybrid while you're out and about, or on a long trip, then I think you're missing the point of a PHEV.
PHEVs work just like a normal hybrid (e.g. your Prius V), with the added benefit that if you normally have a short daily driving range, you will be able to drive them almost entirely on electricity, EXCEPT in the case where you take the car on a longer trip. So, if you normally drive 30 miles a day but take a 300 mile trip once a month, all you have to do is plug it in when you get home (or work) and the only time you'll ever need to put gas in it is (maybe) after that 300 mile trip.
A PHEV is NOT a good candidate for someone who has a long commute, frequently takes long trips, or doesn't have anywhere at home or work to plug in their vehicle for a few hours. For those folks, a regular hybrid vehicle will be the right choice.
Just like EVs don't work for everyone, PHEVs don't make sense for everyone. But for some, they are just right, and eminently practical. Not to mention, they are often cheaper than an equivalent EV without any of the current EV limitations.
Missed opportunity by Subaru.
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Missed opportunity by Subaru. They should have dropped 2.5 liter engine into the hybrid. My 2021 Crosstrek limited with the 2.5 was really a great car but needed a bit more power for mountains.
We tried to get one but could
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We tried to get one but could not, the dealership said the entire supply went to California and the east coast. If they'd MADE more, they'd have SOLD more. There's no unsold inventory lying around.
Early on I looked at the
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Early on I looked at the Crosstrek hybrid at the dealer. It was so much more expensive than the gas models that it seems like it would take half a lifetime to make up the difference in gas savings. I suspect a lot of other people felt the same way, it was just way too expensive for what you’re getting.
The Toyota Rav4 Prime is
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The Toyota Rav4 Prime is selling very well if you can find it. There was supposed to be a Forester already with the same engine and transmission, but Subaru dropped the ball. This is a stubborn and strange company. They make good cars that go anywhere with better handling, conform and space at a better price than Toyota, but looks like we'll buy the Rav4 PHEV instead although we would have bought the Subaru if it were available. People loved the Forester turbo too, but they dropped it because they don't know how to market them. I appreciate they are dog tested, but cute ads are not good enough.
Crosstrek needs more options
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Crosstrek needs more options like the Forester.
It would have been nice if…
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In reply to Crosstrek needs more options by Sharon D'Amico (not verified)
It would have been nice if Subaru advertised the Crosstrek Hybrid. Unless there was a stealth advertising campaign it did not present itself. Usually when something like that happens it means someone or ones didn't like the product or didn't like someone high up who promoted it. Even Consumer Reports gave it a great rating. I was getting ready to order one, but I am concerned if Subaru is not supporting it the maintenance might not live up to Subaru's great history.