Automaker’s EV Lineup May Not Be Done Growing
Having just unveiled the Uncharted, a small electric crossover twinned with the next-generation Toyota C-HR, Subaru is considering an even smaller, more affordable electric model, reports Autocar.
“It’s something that is up for consideration, because we need to prepare a wider range of BEVs to meet every customer’s expectations,” Masahiko Inoue, Subaru’s global EV product head, told the magazine in a recent interview. Autocar reported that Subaru has taken note of the sales success of the new Renault 5, the all-electric revival of the compact hatchback once sold in the United States as the Le Car, which has logged impressive sales of 30,000 units in Europe since the beginning of the year.
The Uncharted is almost seven inches shorter than the Subaru Solterra, the automaker’s only current EV, which itself is about the same length as the gasoline Impreza hatchback. So a smaller EV would be properly compact, more in the vein of the Subaru Justy hatch sold in the U.S. from 1987 to 1994, and one of the smallest cars Subaru has ever sold outside Japan.
Smaller EV May Take Awhile To Arrive
Subaru
All of Subaru’s EVs have been jointly developed with Toyota, and that’s likely to be the case with additional models as well. Autocar notes that Andrea Carlucci, Toyota’s product boss in Europe, previously said an electric Yaris “is the idea,” which would provide the perfect basis for a smaller Subaru EV. But Carlucci also said “this is not quite now.”
Subaru itself doesn’t seem to be in a rush to roll out this model. Subaru Europe boss David Dello Stritto said the automaker has been watching the European electric small-car segment, which is set to expand with the Volkswagen ID 2 and smaller models from Cupra and MG, but wants to “wait and see how the Uncharted does” before deciding on a new entry-level model.
“I reckon we need about two years to find out how it’s performing,” he said. “We might have come up with new ideas during that period, so in two years’ time we can talk again.”
Will It Reach The U.S.?
Europe may soon have a vibrant small EV segment, but the business case for a smaller Subaru EV in the U.S. is likely less compelling. While price has long been a major obstacle to EV adoption, the Uncharted is already a fairly small car by the standards of this market, so it’s unclear if consumers will bite even with a low price. But such a car would provide an alternative to the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt EV, due to arrive later this year.
For now, Subaru has one of the freshest EV lineups in the industry. In addition to the Uncharted, which made its public debut last week, the automaker unveiled a refreshed Solterra and the new, Outback-like, Trailseeker at the 2025 New York Auto Show earlier this year. Both are also slated to reach showrooms as 2026 models.
