Calling Card
Subaru’s calling card has always been the iconic boxer engine; others have used this layout, but Subaru has championed it throughout its long history of carmaking. Subaru is the only carmaker to offer the boxer at an expansive mass-market scale and has used the layout in almost all of its cars. Boxers aren’t known to be the easiest engines to work on or maintain, but over the years Subaru has enhanced the technology enough to be relevant in today’s motoring world.
It seems the Subaru Boxer is coming to an end in one major market because the brand can’t meet stricter regulations with the current boxer engine.
Regulated Out
German publication Auto Motor und Sport just published a report saying Subaru officially announced it will stop selling combustion boxer engines in Europe by the end of 2027 at the latest. The Japanese automaker says the primary reasons for the decision are the European Union’s (EU) stricter emission standards and requirements for driver assistance and safety systems. This has affected smaller car manufacturers that don’t have the scale or budget to homologate and sell their cars in Europe. Subaru Germany is the first European market to confirm this drastic change after the publication sought a statement.
The first car to get the axe in Europe is the naturally aspirated Outback powered by the aging 2.5-liter Boxer engine. However, also following the Outback towards the phase-out are the e-Boxer mild-hybrid models like the Impreza, Crosstrek, and Forester. That basically means Subaru Europe is set to kill off the majority of its lineup. Starting in 2028, the only Subaru cars sold in Europe will be EVs: the Solterra, E-Outback, and the smaller Uncharted SUV Coupe. What’s interesting about these 3 remaining models is that they were developed and built using Toyota’s platforms and EV technology, as seen in the bZ4X, bZ4X Touring, and C-HR+.
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Numbers Don’t Lie
Another report by AutoNext details that 81% of Subaru Germany’s sales came from its ICE Boxer-engined models. However, the same report says the brand’s EV lineup is slowly picking up in sales, with the Solterra and Uncharted climbing to 19% of this year’s vehicle registrations in Germany. Subaru has choices, though; in other markets like America, it sells full hybrid models it could also introduce in the EU, but it has not confirmed whether these full hybrids will make it across the pond.
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