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Subaru to use one platform for future models – report

The next generation of Subaru passenger vehicles will be based on a single architecture as the brand looks to cut costs and development times.


Automotive News reports the new platform will underpin everything from the compact Impreza to an all-new seven-seat SUV designed to replace the ageing Tribeca.

Insiders suggest the Tribeca successor could be the first model to ride on the new platform, with the large crossover model tipped to launch within three years.

Arriving around the same time will be a new generation of engine technology for the brand, including direct injection, cylinder deactivation and lean-burn technology.

A plug-in hybrid powertrain is set to follow in 2017 targeting California and other US states initially before spreading to other international markets. Subaru has confirmed the plug-in will be a variant of an existing model line.

The report claims Subaru will continue with its current strategy of designing its vehicles primarily for the US market.

It says the XV compact SUV will get a facelift around mid-2015, with the Impreza small car on which it’s based presumably to benefit from similar upgrades around the same time.

A new version of the Impreza will go on sale in either late-2016 or early-2017, with the second-generation XV said to follow soon after.

The Forester is set to be refreshed in 2016, while Subaru has only just launched new versions of the WRX, Liberty and Outback – the latter two set to reach our shores early next year – and has no plans for updates to those models at this stage. The Levorg wagon - currently under consideration for our market - is also new to Subaru's line-up.

The BRZ will be the exception to the one-platform strategy, with a new version of the two-door sports car set to once again share its underpinnings with the Toyota 86. The second-generation coupes are tipped to launch around 2018.

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