Subaru unveils hybrid concept

This is the Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept, which will star on the Japanese firm's stand at the Tokyo Motor Show and gives us a glimpse of the way Subaru will tackle the environmental issue.

Subaru says the innovative coupe concept combines 'environmental friendliness, luxury, driving performance and safety'. It does so by featuring the world's first 'boxer' hybrid drivetrain, which mates a turbocharged 'boxer' petrol engine (like that from the Impreza WRX) to a pair of electric motors.

A 10kW (13bhp) electric motor is placed on the front axle and a 20kW (27bhp) unit at the back, which together give the car a four-wheel drive setup while also lowering consumption and emissions markedly. The rear electric motor starts up the car and powers it at low speeds, while at higher speeds the petrol engine takes over. The front motor (which normally acts as a generator to power the lithium ion battery pack) can be engaged to drive the front wheels when more traction is needed.

The styling has more than a hint of Alfa Brera at the rear end, but the front is a rakish, futuristic update of the current Impreza, possibly showing us how the next generation car will look. The 'gullwing' doors are concept car fantasy, but Subaru UK Managing Director Paul Tunnicliffe says the car “perfectly demonstrates our commitment to environmentally-friendly innovation [and] shows that our engineers are capable of developing something which is both technically advanced and stylistically enthralling, hinting at our future design direction.”

Mark Nichol