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Subaru, Toyota Cross Over to Produce Electric Crossover

SubaruToyota_EV_OEM Subaru/Toyota electric crossover concept | Manufacturer image

This week, Subaru and Toyota announced that they will be joining forces (and dollars) to create a new battery-electric compact SUV.

Related: Americans Are Interested in Electric Cars But Still Don’t Quite Get ’Em

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The yet-unnamed collaborative vehicle will combine each manufacturer’s existing strengths — namely Subaru’s all-wheel-drive technology and Toyota’s electric powertrain expertise. Concept art suggests that the finished product will be similar in size to the Toyota RAV4 or Subaru Forester. This will be the first car built on a jointly developed platform dedicated to battery-electric vehicles. Eventually, the two companies plan to expand this electric platform to sedan models and larger SUV models, as well.

But the production of electric vehicles doesn’t come cheap, especially as they are becoming more popular and consumers are expecting more out of them. So, this partnership is not just about merging technologies, but also about splitting the cost and dividing up the laundry list of challenges involved.

There’s no word yet on when we might see this electric SUV hitting the pavement, but when it does, you can expect different versions for sale under each company’s individual brand.

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