Japanese manufacturer Subaru seems to have been left behind in the green car race by its compatriots such as Toyota, Honda and Nissan – but now the subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries is bouncing back.
The company brought its gull-wing Hybrid Tourer Concept to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit to draw attention to its announcement that it will develop a petrol/electric hybrid system based on the boxer engine that will be launched in 2012.
At the heart of the Hybrid Tourer is a 2.0litre horizontally opposed direct fuel injection turbo petrol engine that not only improves fuel efficiency but reduces emissions too. It has been designed to improve engine responsiveness and environmental friendliness while making the most of the Subaru Lineartronic that is mated to a hybrid system with Symmetrical AWD.
Among the features of the powertrain are a gas/hybrid two-motor system as well as a 10kW electric power/drive motor at the front and a 20kW drive motor at the rear. Meanwhile, the electric motors will be powered by high performance lithium-ion batteries.
