Subaru Introducing Mystery EV in New York

At next week’s New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), the Subaru brand will unveil an all-electric crossover-type vehicle – one bearing an entirely new nameplate.

Details are scanty, other than a teaser photo released today by the company which shows the back hatch area of a vehicle named ‘Trailseeker’. An appropriate amount of mud and dirt is splattered over the space, as you would when promoting a new Subaru, along with a ‘Limited’ badge which suggests the Trailseeker name is a model and not a trim level.

What could be in the hopper? We might be looking at a fraternal twin of the Toyota CH-R+, an EV from that brand sized about 4 inches longer than the departed gasoline-powered variant of that model. Presently planned for a Winter 2025 launch in markets like the UK, Toyota touts it as a city sized machine with 14.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat. For comparison, the Solterra/bZ4X has about 23.8 cubes of room, suggesting the Trailseeker could slot underneath the Solterra in Subaru’s lineup – at least in terms of overall size.

Such a mashup is not out of the questions, especially since Subaru and Toyota currently collaborate not only on the Solterra and bZ4X but also the BRZ and GR86. The CH-R+ is built on Toyota’s e-TGNA platform and proffers a maximum range of 373 miles depending on trim and driveline chosen. That number is likely the spawn of Europe’s endlessly optimistic WLTP cycle, it must be said. Horsepower ratings range from 165 ponies in a base single-motor trim to a robust 338 horses in top models with dual motors and all-wheel drive. There’s every chance in the world Subaru will offer AWD as standard in America.