You knew, we knew, that Subaru was going to go after Tesla. Subaru said as much when it showed off the quirky concept with no name. Seriously. It revealed the crossover-looking SUV earlier this year. It wasn’t shown at an auto show but instead, at a technical meeting it held in Japan back in January. And the concept-though it had no name, Subaru did say it was a joint venture between it and Toyota. Strange as that sounds you know this is only one of many projects the two have shared including the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ, and Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid which uses Prius components.

The technical meeting where the no-name concept was revealed was to reveal Subaru’s environmental intentions

This technical meeting was to put forth Subaru’s intentions for environment-friendly products. With Toyota’s help, Subaru presented a timeline for these environmental products. This also included co-sharing technology with both Mazda and Suzuki. 

Subaru expressed a certain reluctance to committing to hybrid and EV products dominating its lineup due to the slow acceptance of EVs in the US. It says that only Tesla EVs sell well in the US. This forces Subaru to continue to observe the EV scene in the US. 

Subaru says EVs are the future of individual transportation

But it also recognizes that EVs are the future of individual transportation. It committed to reducing CO2 emissions by 90% from what they are for 2010 models. That is a huge reduction that can only be achieved with electric technology.

So, everyone was left to wonder what the significance of the concept was and why Subaru chose to show it at this tech gathering. We now know what this was all about. Subaru announced that all of its products will be electric or hybrid by 2030. So it is scrambling to develop vehicles to meet that goal. 

The EV concept now has a name; “Evoltis”

One of those EVs will be based on the no-name concept which now has a name. This crossover EV will be called “Evoltis.” It will be powered by an EV system that puts out almost 300 hp. It will also come standard with all-wheel-drive. The range will be over 300 miles between charges. 

What we are hearing is that the design will be a more radical version of the no-name concept. That’s crazy because usually these things go the other way. The concept is the more radical version and from there it gets watered down. Production considerations, material costs, safety standards; they all play a part in compromising a concept as it reaches production.

Subaru says the production Evoltis will be even more radical than the concept

Subaru is saying the Evoltis will be more aggressive than the concept. We like this. The grille will be more massive, the grille bar will be heavier looking, and exaggerated LED headlights that extend into the bumper.

Technically, the Evoltis will be incorporating Subaru’s improved EyeSight technology. It will feature lane change, braking, and steering enhancements. It will also utilize a 360-degree camera that monitors everything going on around the Evoltis as it blitzes down the highway.

When can we expect to get a gander of an actual Evoltis? Subaru says it will debut at the 2021 Tokyo Motor Show in October 2021 as a 2022 model.