Subaru is getting ready to broaden its electric vehicle portfolio with a larger, more family-oriented option. In the near future, the brand’s lineup will add a three-row electric SUV intended to compete with newer entries in the segment.
As was the case with the compact Subaru Solterra, this will not be a clean-sheet Subaru design. Instead, it will be a rebadged version of Toyota’s forthcoming all-electric, three-row Highlander.
Plans for Subaru to offer its own take on Toyota’s latest model have been known for several years. Back in 2023, Toyota and Subaru jointly confirmed that both brands would receive versions of the new vehicle, with production initially expected to begin in 2025.
That timeline has since slipped, but Subaru of America’s chief operating officer, Jeff Walters, has recently reiterated that the project is still moving forward.
In comments to Automotive News, Walters explained that Subaru’s version of the three-row EV is now slated to arrive later this year.
He also noted that the vehicle is being positioned for two-car households that already have home charging solutions.
Once it launches, it will sit alongside the electric Solterra, as well as the similarly Toyota-derived Uncharted and Trailseeker, further expanding Subaru’s growing EV presence in the U.S. market.
What remains unclear is just how closely Subaru’s new SUV will track Toyota’s electric Highlander in terms of design and character. Based on previous collaborations between the two companies, significant differences are unlikely.
Expect light changes limited to branding, subtle front- and rear-end revisions, and unique side trim elements.
That said, Subaru could choose to inject a bit more rugged character, similar to what it did with the Uncharted, which shares its underlying architecture with Toyota’s C-HR.
Toyota’s new three-row electric SUV itself is expected to closely resemble the bZ Large concept revealed several years ago, and it will share strong visual similarities with the smaller Toyota bZ.
After a lengthy development period, this model should finally give Toyota a credible competitor to electric family SUVs such as the Kia EV9 and the Hyundai Ioniq 9.
Subaru may not be the only brand to benefit from Toyota’s latest electric SUV platform. Earlier reports suggest that Lexus is also preparing a more premium interpretation of the same architecture.
This luxury variant is rumored to be called the Lexus TZ and would effectively serve as an all-electric counterpart to the gasoline-powered TX, further extending Toyota’s three-row electric SUV strategy across multiple brands.
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