► Hybrid Subaru cars are coming
► All about new e-Boxer engine tech
► See them at the Geneva motor show
Leftfield Japanese car maker Subaru will play catch-up with the big boys at the Geneva motor show this spring when it unveils its new e-Boxer tech, ushering in a new era of hybrid tech.
Subaru UK has no official information on the new e-Boxer engines, saying the full story would emerge at the Geneva show on 5 March. But we know these will be so-called ‘mild hybrids’, meaning only a small battery and electric motor will be used, mainly to boost the petrol engine at low speeds and help with rapid stop-start fuel-saving.
2019 Geneva motor show preview guide
Subaru e-Boxer hybrids: how it works
Word is, the new Subaru hybrids will mate the company’s 2.0-litre flat-four petrol engine with a small e-motor, said to be rated at around 13bhp and built into the Subaru Lineartronic CVT transmission. Because the battery capacity is very small, it will rarely operate on full electric power – rather an extra dose of torque is used to assist when pulling away.
It sounds like it’s a developmenet of the Forester e-Boxer already shown in Singapore; it had a traditional Scooby all-wheel drive powertrain fed by the mild hybrid engine (above) for a total output of 156bhp and 184lb ft.
CAR magazine understands the new tech is due for production later this year, with UK dealers expecting hybrid Foresters and Outbacks in late summer 2019.
Further hybrid car reading
Different types of hybrid explained
The best hybrids and plug-in PHEVs
Our guide to the best electric cars and EVs