Good catch.

Reading he CEOs' comments, it's pretty clear that they intend that hybrid cars be around a lot longer than what they've been openly saying up to this point.

 

I’m happy to see collaboration with Toyota and Mazda. Subaru’s engine photo seems to suggest they have a boxer engine with symmetrical all wheel drive in testing for the upcoming hybrid powertrain. Everyone is proclaiming their agility to pivot to alternate fuels, but I expect the R&D budget here is single digits compared to hybrid platforms.

Toyota leads the industry right now on hybrid/battery technology, and I’d be happy to see Toyota hybrid designs in Subaru models. Toyota’s bipolar nickel–metal hydride batteries have the best chance of being relevant beyond the expected battery cell replacement lifespan of 8-10 years.

 

They are collaborating in a way that preserves the engineering "culture" of each of the companies. That's pretty smart. Only time will tell if this is the right approach, but it seems like doing something different than the competition is a good idea.

 

IMHO, the Toyota / Subaru / Mazda announcement is more along the lines of petitioning the US government to reclassify what constitutes an emission-less car. Check out this article where the Ford CEO came back "enlightened" after a trip to China. Some "newfangled" idea of having an EV with a smaller battery but also has a small ICE to generate electricity.

MSN

and Ford CEO says this type of vehicle can be the bridge for electrification - TheStreet

Guess no one saw a first-generation Volt or knows how a diesel electric train works.

 

When Ferdinand Porsche was designing the Volkswagen or "Peoples Car" in pre-WW2 Germany, an ICE with motors in the wheels was one of the prototypes that was not adopted, but made it into later test mules for heavy tanks and armored vehicles.

 

Subaru best keep their unique boxer engine, symmetrical full-time AWD and high ground clearance, affordable price point (relatively speaking), or there is no Subaru value proposition. Otherwise, they become like everyone else (yawn). This will be really tough if not impossible for them to achieve no thanks to onerous government CAFE mandates. Pictures of dogs in the seat and close-ups of a wheel going through a mud puddle won't cut it long term.

 

Interesting read. Even the CTO acknowledges that there is very little remaining that differentiates Subaru from other vehicles other than the powertrain.

Subaru Explains How Its New Hybrid Boxer Engine is Better (msn.com)

 

I like boxers. Just ditch the stupid CVT, and it'd be great news for many of us. Ha ha. I recently rented a Nissan Sentra, and to my dismay, it had a MUCH better CVT than Subaru. It wasn't even close. And I thought Nissans were crap compared to Subaru. Maybe not. Ha ha. But a good planetary-gear auto is smoother, more robust, and more reliable.

 

Audi are super front heavy, due to their FWD-based platforms. They might handle well, but don't drive that nicely. I bought a new S6, and sold in less than a year.