2014 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited on 2040-cars

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Subaru PHEV possible next year, pure EV in 2021

Despite what its larger competitors are doing, Subaru has avoided the draw to create its own electric vehicle. Tighter emissions regulations around the globe, though, have the company reconsidering its options. The company is pouring a record amount of money into research and development, according to a report from Bloomberg, and that includes EV technology. Also, Subaru could introduce a plug-in hybrid as early as next year, and an all-electric vehicle by 2021. Subaru CEO Yasuyuki Yoshinaga tells Bloomberg that the company doesn't need a dedicated platform for battery-powered cars, and will likely put plugs into existing models. This way, the automaker doesn't have to partner with another company beyond finding a supplier for the motor and battery, and can extract the full value out of its current nameplates. A previous report suggests that Subaru would electrify the Outback or the Forester, but Yoshinaga doesn't confirm this in his interview with Bloomberg. Instead he uses a model that recently ditched its hybrid version in a hypothetical example: "If there's already an attractive Subaru model, for example the XV crossover, and if a customer in Beijing wants one but is only allowed to buy an electric vehicle, if there's no electric version then he can't buy it. Providing the choice of an EV means the customer can still desire the same Subaru." As for sourcing the battery, Yoshinaga says that a decision would have to come in about a year, and Panasonic and Samsung are possibilities. In addition to EVs, Subaru will use some of its $1.2 billion in funds set aside for R&D for the year ending in March, 2018 on driver assist technology, autonomous driving, and connected vehicles. Related Video:

Toyota, Lexus dominate KBB's Best Resale Value Awards

Toyota and Lexus stormed the 2014 Kelley Blue Book Best Resale Value Awards, winning a combined 18 categories including best brand and best luxury brand. This marks the third year in a row that both automakers have won the Brand and Luxury Brand resale value awards. In all, Toyota won 11 categories and Lexus won seven.
Honda made a good showing, as well, winning two segments (Accord Plug-In Hybrid and Civic Si) and putting one car on the top-10 Best Resale Value list (CR-V). Chevrolet did even better, winning two segments (with the V6 Camaro and the Corvette) and placing three cars on the top-10-overall list (again, the Camaro and Corvette, plus the Silverado 1500).
The other winners came from Jeep, Dodge, Infiniti, Subaru and Audi. To give you a clearer picture of the Toyota and Lexus domination, their 18 mentions represents more than half of the 34 awards (including the top-10-overall list).

What it’s like to blast up the Goodwood rally stage in a Subaru rally car

Chichester, U.K. — “YouÂ’re not supposed to drive at the marshal,” quipped a young woman dressed head-to-toe in the official Goodwood Festival of Speed white marshalÂ’s uniform. She smiled wryly at 17-year-old Oliver Solberg in the driverÂ’s seat, only half-joking about his rather enthusiastic approach to the starting line. I sat pinned into the Subaru WRX STIÂ’s Recaro bucket seat on my side, mentally preparing myself for the madness that was to come. Solberg waits for the go ahead to launch, then he begins stabbing the accelerator pedal aggressively. Brap, brap, brap – the acrid smell of burning rubber fills the cabin as the Subaru zings to the first corner. The car leans as Solberg flicks it in — itÂ’s tricky as the pavement transitions to gravel mid-corner, so grip is hard to come by here. The abused hay bales on the outside of the corner attest to that. Before we started off, Solberg told me the tires were too warm from previous runs. “I wonÂ’t be able to push,” Solberg said matter of fact-like. Taking it easy isnÂ’t a Solberg trait, though, and I learned that quickly. Perhaps the Goodwood Forest Rally Stage isnÂ’t what you think of when someone mentions the British motoring event. Instead, you picture hay bales lining a picturesque driveway with fancy people in hats drinking champagne and cheering at the jaw-dropping, ear-piercing metal racing by them. The rally stage is not this. In fact, IÂ’d wager to say itÂ’s the complete opposite of the traditional hill climb. Dirt and dust fill the air and lungs. ThereÂ’s a fair bit of hiking on uneven ground involved for spectators. Drivers lose control of their vintage rally cars and smash them into things. Hell, thereÂ’s even a jump. Subaru brought us here specifically for us to experience what going up the rally stage in its new STI rally car felt like with a proper racing driver behind the wheel, and boy are we glad to have done it. The 17-year-old son of rally legend Petter Solberg may not seem like the pro driver youÂ’d expect, but racing drivers seem to be getting younger and younger these days. Just look at the success that Max Verstappen has enjoyed in Formula 1 since he began. His father was a Formula 1 racing driver before him, and Oliver is similarly pursuing the same career as his father. “I always dreamed of driving rally cars,” Oliver Solberg said while gathered among media at Goodwood. He certainly enjoys racing up the rally stage, too. “ItÂ’s very, very technical.