Subaru has begun in-house production of its first globally marketed battery-electric vehicle at its Gunma Yajima plant in Japan, marking a milestone in the automaker’s electrification strategy.
The vehicle entering production is the mid-size Trailseeker EV, which will be sold in Europe as the e-Outback. Subaru said the start of manufacturing follows plant upgrades completed in January, allowing battery-electric, hybrid and petrol vehicles to be built on a single mixed-production line.
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The move represents Subaru’s first internal production of a full battery-electric model. Its earlier electric vehicle, the Solterra, was produced at a Toyota facility as part of the companies’ long-standing alliance.
Production at the Gunma Yajima plant began after modernization work launched in August. Subaru said the changes strengthened its manufacturing flexibility while supporting its transition toward electrified powertrains.
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“These are the first electric vehicles produced by Subaru itself,” the company said, adding that the launch was enabled by “deeper cooperation between the two companies in the area of electrification, alongside advancements in Subaru’s monozukuri (manufacturing) capabilities.”
The Trailseeker EV and e-Outback are built on Toyota’s e-TNGA platform, reflecting Subaru’s continued technical collaboration with Toyota, which began in 2005. Despite the shared architecture, production is now handled entirely at Subaru’s own facilities.
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In Europe, Subaru Germany says the e-Outback will deliver 280 kilowatts of power through a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system. Energy is supplied by a 74.7-kilowatt-hour battery, with an estimated range of more than 450 kilometres under the WLTP test cycle, pending final homologation. Pricing and order availability have not yet been announced.
With 21 centimetres of ground clearance and a towing capacity of up to 1.5 tonnes, the e-Outback is positioned as a more rugged alternative to the road-focused Solterra, despite near-identical underlying technology.
Subaru is expected to introduce a third electric model, the compact Uncharted SUV, as part of its alliance with Toyota. The company has confirmed the model for Europe but has not disclosed where it will be manufactured.
The production launch comes as Subaru faces mounting pressure to reduce fleet emissions in Europe. According to analysts at Dataforce, Subaru’s average EU fleet emissions in 2025 stood at 169.9 grams of CO₂ per kilometre, well above the brand’s EU target of 91.3 g/km. The figures are preliminary and do not yet include final EU adjustments.
Without joining existing CO₂ pooling arrangements involving manufacturers such as Tesla and Stellantis, analysts say Subaru will need higher electric vehicle sales in Europe to narrow the gap and limit potential penalties during the 2025–2027 compliance period.