Peter Lyon
April 13, 2025
Last Friday, Subaru finally revealed the name of its long-awaited second electric vehicle. And in the same vein as its well-known Forester and Crosstrek models, which conjure up off-road adventures, the brand’s all-new name is Trailseeker, and later this month, it will debut at the New York International Auto Show.
And sorry to say folks, but the teaser image above does not tell us much about that new back end except that it’s edgy like the Forester.
To be bluntly honest, we are not sure whether Subaru would actually benefit greatly from adding more electric cars to its lineup. Why? Because the Solterra EV, which was co-developed with the Toyota bZ4X, was far from a runaway success. The brand has so far lagged behind in EV competitiveness, much like many other Japanese automakers which only offer one EV (like Toyota, Mazda, and Honda. By contrast, the Hyundai Motor Group sells a ton of EVs, General Motors sells lots under numerous brands, and Volkswagen also sells a bunch.
Despite minor revisions over time, the Subaru Solterra EV has been limited by its mediocre charging speeds and range, so the brand is hoping that the Trailseeker can add more value and impetus to Subaru’s EV reach.
Like the Solterra, the Trailseeker is also a collaborative effort between Toyota and Subaru. Last year, Subaru said that it would work with Japan’s No 1 carmaker to co-develop its next three EVs and by 2028, it intends to produce four EVs internally. From what we see, the Trailseeker could well be Subaru’s take on the new Toyota C-HR+.
California-based EV startup Rivian has established itself as the preferred EV brand for outdoor enthusiasts, Subaru’s target group, while the Japanese automaker has delayed its EV program. Additionally, Rivian’s $45,000 R2, its mass-market SUV, will be available late next year.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
It’s good to see Subaru finally getting another EV on the road—even if it is rather late to market. But then again, that it what we’ve seen from most Japanese carmakers, who have, to be honest, pretty much missed the EV boat. While few details have been released so far w can expect the new model to offer around 400km and cost around $50,000-$55,000.
