Here’s a Preview of Subaru’s Next-Gen Hybrid System

• The Japanese-market Subaru Crosstrek is slated to get a new hybrid system, scheduled to launch this December.
  

• The hybrid system works with a 2.5-liter horizontally opposed four-cylinder and a pair of electric motors.

• Subaru says that this new Crosstrek can move 621 miles per tank when judged by the WLTC.

If you’ve been missing a hybrid Crosstrek at Subaru dealerships, there might be some good news heading your way—at least if you live in Japan. According to Subaru, the company is launching its next-generation hybrid system this December under the skin of its Crosstrek.

At the heart of this hybrid system is still a 2.5-liter horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine. This engine works with a new transaxle that’s home to two electric motors. Subaru is calling one of these motors a traction motor, with the other motor working as a generator. Subaru says this traction motor is good for 88 kW of energy, or 118 hp. That extra hp helps the 2.5-liter’s 158 hp, but Subaru did not reveal the combined system output.

Feeding this electric drive motor is a 1.1-kWh lithium-ion battery. Obviously, with a battery this small, you’re not going to see too much electric-only range, but you should see some relief at the pump. Subaru says this Crosstrek hybrid can travel 620 miles per tank, while judged by the WLTC.

Of course, that number will shrink when compared to the would-be EPA rating. Subaru also says that this new hybrid system is 20% more efficient than the current Subaru hybrid system. This upcoming Crosstrek Hybrid also still sticks with the company’s Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive system, which still features a physical connection between the two axles.

According to the note from Subaru, this new hybrid system is heading to the Crosstrek (Japan model), first. That doesn’t mean that Subaru is explicitly going to roll out this hybrid model to other markets, but when you think about the increase in interest in hybrid vehicles in the United States, it would make sense—especially when you consider that US-market Crossktrek models have featured hybrid systems in the past.

Do you think Subaru will bring this new hybrid system to the United States? Tell us your thoughts below.