One of the brands that has bet the least on the transition to the electric car is Subaru. A manufacturer with great influence in the market despite its low sales volume, which has now decided to change its policy and bet more and more on electric cars.
According to the Japanese media, Subaru will expand its production lines with the aim of reaching 400,000 units per year by 2028.
The moves include the addition of a second electric car production line in Japan, signaling a dramatic increase in its bid to get 40% of its global sales from electric vehicles by the end of the decade.
As part of the expansion plan, Subaru said it will also launch up to four new 100% electric models by the end of 2026. A very important leap forward compared to the only proposal it currently has, and which is also a model developed by Toyota.
Subaru’s electric car offering is expected to expand globally, with sales in Japan, Europe and the United States.
Among the reasons for the change in strategy, which curiously occurs in a moment of maximum earnings for the Japanese brand, is the arrival this coming month of June of a new president who has changed the vision of the brand. Subaru’s former head of quality, Tomomi Nakamura.
According to the roadmap, Subaru will add an electric car assembly line at its Oizumi plant in Japan starting in 2027, with a production capacity of 200,000 units per year. That will complement a line at the nearby Yajima plant that will provide capacity for another 200,000 units a year from 2026.
Combined, the two lines will enable the production of 400,000 electric vehicles a year from 2028, Subaru said.
Osaki said Subaru plans to build EVs first in Japan, even though the United States accounts for about 70% of its global sales and imported EVs will not be eligible for the $7,500 state aid.
Something that does not intimidate the current president of Subaru, who has been confident in the loyalty of his customer base “Our customers will not be intimidated by the lack of incentives for the brand’s electric vehicles. I wonder if American consumers choose their cars based solely on tax breaks. Our American customers are quality customers. We have a higher proportion of customers who buy Subarus with cash, and we also have low lending and leasing rates. We also keep our incentives at low levels.”
Subaru will begin in-house production of electric cars, so as not to rely solely on Toyota, and will focus on its Gunma manufacturing complex north of Tokyo. It will start around 2026 at Gunma’s Yajima plant on a mixed production line with internal combustion vehicles.
And starting around 2027, it will produce electric vehicles from a dedicated line that is planned for Oizumi’s Gunma plant, which currently makes engines and transmissions.
