Subaru’s Affordable EV Plan Rides On The Uncharted EV’s Success

• Subaru could launch a B-segment EV if the compact Uncharted does well over the next two years.
• It may not reach the U.S. and could be a Euro-only model battling in a hotly contested segment.
• A U.S. launch seems unlikely given Americans’ appetite for larger cars, whether they’re electric or not.

Subaru currently sells only one electric vehicle, the Solterra. But as of next year, that car will slot in the middle of a three-EV lineup, larger than the compact Uncharted and tidier than the more family-friendly midsize Trailseeker. If the two new electric arrivals do well, Subaru is considering going even smaller, launching a B-segment EV.

Autocar asked Inoue Masahiko, the global head of electric cars at Subaru, about the prospect of more and smaller Subaru EVs being launched. He said, “It’s something that is up for consideration, because we need to prepare a wider range of BEVs to meet every customer’s expectations.”

Subaru’s European boss, David Dello Stritto, said the company was open to launching a subcompact electric vehicle, especially since the space would soon be inundated with new models. The Renault 5 E-Tech is only the first in a new wave of city EVs that will soon hit Europe, which includes the Volkswagen ID.2, Cupra Raval, MG 2 and even a Dacia Sandero EV.

There are even smaller A-segment EVs coming to Europe, like the 1990s-inspired Renault Twingo EV, its affordable Dacia brother or a tiny new Honda EV. There will definitely be stiff competition in the next few years as all these models come to market, so there’s clearly demand for such electric vehicles on the continent.

Dello Stritto noted that Subaru will wait to see how the compact Uncharted does before it decides whether it’s worth going even smaller with its EVs. “I reckon we need about two years to find out how it’s performing. We might have come up with new ideas during that period, so in two years’ time we can talk again,” he said.

Given that all electric Subarus announced so far are built on underpinnings shared with Toyota, it’s fair to assume that its B-segment model would follow suit. Toyota is said to be working on an electric Yaris, but it remains a few years away at this point.

When asked about an electric Yaris, Toyota Europe’s Director of Marketing and Product Development, Andrea Carlucci, previously told Autocar that “This is the idea, but now it is not something we talk about.”

The manufacturer is currently focusing on delivering EVs in larger size segments. Carlucci concluded by saying, “The right moment will arrive, but this is not quite now.” When it does arrive, it will likely be called the Yaris, just like the combustion or hybrid model on sale today.

Considering that Subaru decided to call the Trailseeker the E-Outback in Europe signals the manufacturer’s desire to also keep its naming familiar, at least for that market. The B-segment EV could therefore be called the Justy or E-Justy, which is a nameplate that American buyers would also be familiar with.

There are currently no B-segment EVs on sale in the U.S. after the Chevy Bolt EV and EUV duo were discontinued, as was the BMW i3 and tariffs make it uneconomical for Mini to bring the China-built J01 over. A new Bolt EV is on the way, but most automakers don’t seem to think there is a market for petite city EVs, so even if Subaru launched an electric car in that size bracket, it likely wouldn’t make it to the States.

Even combustion B-segment cars are very rare in the U.S., with just the Nissan Versa, Mitsubishi Mirage and Mini Cooper available today. Americans’ appetite for small cars is unlikely to change unless something like the Japanese kei car regulations is introduced, giving tax breaks to those who choose to drive small.