Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Subaru not going anywhere. Look for the EV plant in Mexico.

Maybe? But they’re so behind on hybrids and EVs that it’s hard to imagine how they plan to compete here. It’s puzzled me for years.

This is the thing. For whatever reason the Japanese govt/car companies have thought the future of cars was hydrogen fuel cells and they've complete neglected battery technology (so Honda is the only company to ever produce a commercial fuel cell car and it still doesn't a battery EV I think).

Now the head of Subaru is looking for a scapegoat for their crappy strategy.

Subaru is partially owned by Toyota, so maybe they will expand that partnership as Toyota is way ahead when it comes to EVs.

I hope Subaru doesn't go under, as that could also spell demise for key suppliers like the company that makes the "Coexist" bumper stickers that come standard on all Subaru models.

Anonymous wrote:This article just says that they’re not making batteries in the US because they think our high wages more than offset the federal incentive payment. It doesn’t say anything about their plans to sell EVs or not in the US.

They won’t be competitive when other brands have a $7500 profit lead.

I have a 2019 Subaru that we were hoping to keep until a PHEV Outback became available. That’s not ever happening.

This article just says that they’re not making batteries in the US because they think our high wages more than offset the federal incentive payment. It doesn’t say anything about their plans to sell EVs or not in the US.

Anonymous wrote:Subaru not going anywhere. Look for the EV plant in Mexico.

Maybe? But they’re so behind on hybrids and EVs that it’s hard to imagine how they plan to compete here. It’s puzzled me for years.

Anonymous wrote:Car manufacturers don't need factories onsite to fulfill government requirements. They can partner with US companies and build them abroad, then have them shipped. Your entire premise is false.

The IRA has some very powerful tax credit incentives to build batteries and cars in the US.

This also doesn't make sense because they already make the Outback in the U.S., they're already paying U.S. wages.

I'm not going to click on your random link, but I LOVE my Subaru and am due for a new car in the next year or two. If they offered a hybrid vehicle that was larger than the Crosstrek, I would be all in, but because they won't offer the Outback as a hybrid, they will be losing me as a customer, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I just don't get it.

Car manufacturers don't need factories onsite to fulfill government requirements. They can partner with US companies and build them abroad, then have them shipped. Your entire premise is false.

Good riddance, if that's how they think.

Subaru not going anywhere. Look for the EV plant in Mexico.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This isn’t surprising. They’ve really lagged in EV and hybrid offerings.

I mean, this is sorta crazy. They sell 50-60K vehicles per year in North America. Nearly 600K worldwide. You’d think the company would be interested in keeping its incredibly loyal market share

My mistake - Subaru sold nearly 600K vehicles in the US last year. That’s a large customer base to abandon.

Anonymous wrote:This isn’t surprising. They’ve really lagged in EV and hybrid offerings.

I mean, this is sorta crazy. They sell 50-60K vehicles per year in North America. Nearly 600K worldwide. You’d think the company would be interested in keeping its incredibly loyal market share

This isn’t surprising. They’ve really lagged in EV and hybrid offerings.

Wow, it sounds like they are throwing in the towel on the US market.

Subaru will not build a battery plant in the US because they cannot “compete with McDonald’s wages.”

It sounds like we won’t be getting EV Outbacks or Ascents anytime in the next decade. They only have one hybrid model. Without innovating or building facilities in the US, the brand is basically done in North America. They won’t be able to meet federal or California standards


https://electrek.co/2022/11/04/subaru-wont-build-electric-cars-us-cant-compete-mcdonalds-wages