Subaru to Drop Crosstrek Hybrid for 2017

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.’s Subaru unit is discontinuing the short-lived hybrid variant of its Crosstrek crossover vehicle with the 2017 model year.

The company launched the base Crosstrek (initially called the XV Crosstrek) in 2012, with the gasoline-electric model (Subaru’s first hybrid) following a year later. The hybrid system teamed a 10-kW electric motor and a nickel-metal-hydride battery pack with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder boxer engine and a continuously variable transmission.

Analysts note the hybrid vehicle’s Environmental Protection Agency rating of 30 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway provided little incentive for buyers to pay a $5,000 premium over the base model, which gets 26 mpg city/30 mpg highway.

An all-new Crosstrek is expected to debut as a 2018 model. Previewed by this year’s XV Concept vehicle, the new crossover will be based on the next-generation Impreza. While some media reports indicate Subaru will offer a more efficient hybrid model (possibly a plug-in architecture) with the new Crosstrek, others suggest the company will move straight to an all-electric crossover.

For 2017, Subaru is adding a Premium Special Edition to the Crosstrek lineup. The top-end model will include a host of standard safety features, 17-inch alloy wheels and special badging and trim.

The Crosstrek Premium Special starts at about $27,000, which is $4,000 more than the base model. U.S. sales are due to start in November.