It’s time to add Subaru to the list of automakers that are pushing for a larger stake in the global electrification of vehicles. On Monday, the Japanese manufacturer announced its plan for a surprise at the Geneva International Motor Show where it will announce the launch of two vehicles that are to be powered by an electrified hybrid version of its famous boxer engine.
The platform will be branded under Subaru’s e-Boxer moniker and is reportedly destined to be released in the European market, at least initially. The automaker doesn’t announce when (or if) the rest of the world will receive the new power plant.
Subaru continues to be purposefully lackadaisical on the details in order to build hype for its jump into the future. Both the size of the engine and placement into its lineup are unknown at this time, however, the automaker did give a sneak peek at a hybrid version of its Forester last month in Singapore which may hint at something. At that time, journalists were greeted with a 2.0-liter flat-four that produced 143 horsepower and 139 foot-pounds of torque.
Another important facet is to note that Subaru’s teaser image of the e-Boxer shows a wide, flat surface (presumably a battery) placed longitudinally across the base of the vehicle and resting just above a driveshaft. This could indicate that Subaru has chosen a mounting location in the vehicle’s floor in order to retain one of the boxer’s biggest claims-to-fame: the low center of gravity achieved by a horizontally-opposed motor.
Official details on the platform will be announced on March 5 when Subaru’s dedicated mini-site for the e-Boxer platform will go live, just two days before the start of the 89th annual Geneva International Motor Show.