Subaru begins series production of Trailseeker EV/e-Outback
The company has upgraded the plant for this purpose since August and completed the work as planned in January. At the Gunma Yajima plant, it established a mixed-production line that enables the manufacture of battery-electric vehicles alongside petrol and hybrid vehicles on a single line.
Production of Subaru’s first in-house battery-electric vehicles begins with the mid-size SUV Trailseeker, which the company unveiled in the US last April. In Europe, the model is sold as the e-Outback, following the Japanese brand’s naming convention for its well-known internal combustion engine series. These are the first electric vehicles produced by Subaru itself—the debut model, Solterra, was manufactured at a Toyota plant. However, the Trailseeker EV/e-Outback duo is also based on the eTNGA platform from the Toyota collaboration. The only difference is that production now takes place at Subaru’s own facilities.
For Europe, Subaru Germany states that the e-Outback delivers 280 kW of power via its all-wheel-drive system, which is powered by two electric motors. The 74.7 kWh battery is expected to provide a range of over 450 kilometres under the WLTP standard, though this remains a preliminary figure. The e-Outback has not yet received final homologation and is not available for order—prices have also not been announced. With a ground clearance of 21 centimetres and a towing capacity of up to 1.5 tonnes, the e-Outback is designed for more rugged use than the Solterra, which, despite sharing nearly identical technology, is intended as a road-focused SUV.
A third electric model from Subaru, the compact electric SUV Uncharted, is expected to enter the market as part of the alliance with Toyota, which began in 2005. The carmaker already confirmed its launch in Europe. Subaru has not yet disclosed where this model will be produced—in the latest announcement, only the Trailseeker EV and e-Outback are mentioned. The “collaboration strengthened over the years across a wide range of areas, including development, production, and supply chains. This production launch was achieved through deeper cooperation between the two companies in the area of electrification, alongside advancements in Subaru’s monozukuri (manufacturing) capabilities,” the company stated.
Subaru is relying on higher electric vehicle sales in Europe to achieve its targets. According to calculations by market analysts at Dataforce, Subaru recorded an average fleet CO₂ emission of 169.9 g/km in the EU in 2025, compared with an EU target of 91.3 g/km for the brand. This nearly 79 g/km gap represents the highest exceedance among all manufacturers. These figures are preliminary and do not yet reflect the EU’s final data. Without participating in the CO₂ pooling arrangement with Tesla, Toyota, Stellantis and other manufacturers, Subaru would need to undertake substantial additional measures to avoid CO₂ penalties for the 2025–2027 compliance period.
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