Toyota and Subaru have previously worked together on the development of electric cars such as the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra, and now the two Japanese companies are working on a new car. It is an SUV car that will go into production at the beginning of 2026.
The car will be built from existing components to speed up the process, which means it won’t be starting from scratch. The plan is for the new SUV to be sold in North America, Europe and Japan, but it could also be sold in other markets. How much it will cost is not yet known.
According to Nikkei Asia, the new SUV will be produced at Subaru’s Yajima plant, with a monthly production of 15,000 to 20,000 cars.
It should be noted that this is not the only joint project of these two companies. They are currently working on three new electric crossovers that should hit the market in the second half of 2025. Also, they didn’t give up on gasoline engines. Last month they announced plans for new and improved internal combustion engines.
Drag races are popular events where car enthusiasts present their tuned cars by racing against each other. One such event was organized by Red Bull, where an F1 Car, a Rallycross Car, a Drift Hypercar and a Pro4 Truck demonstrated their impressive capabilities on a modified race track.
Red Bull built the ultimate race track where each driver set a lap to make sure that the track is fair. Each vehicle had its own line specifically built for its strengths in order to even the odds and see which one comes out on top.
The Pro4 was driven by off-road racing champion Andrew Carlson, and his car develops more than 960 hp and weighs 2,041 kilograms. Behind the steering wheel of the McLaren P1, which has more than 1,000 hp and weighs 1,400 kilograms, was Mad Mike Whiddett. The powerful Subaru was driven by World Rallycross Championship champion Scott Speed, and the car has more than 600 hp and weighs 1,300 kilograms. The RB7 F1 car, which has 750 hp and weighs 640 kilograms, was driven by Patrick Friesacher.
The first to go out on the track was Friesacher, who also has the longest line, but thanks to the best aerodynamics, he achieved a lap time of 1:20.36. At one point, the RB7 car reached a speed of 288 km/h. After him, Mad Mike Whiddett came out on the track and his show started with a powerful engine sound and burning tires. He had to drift in every corner in order to maintain speed and record the best possible time. In the end, he achieved a lap time of 1:21.40 (+0.84).
World Rallycross Championship champion Scott Speed had the advantage of his Subaru’s fantastic acceleration and the ability to drive off-road terrain outside the track, which ultimately earned him the third fastest lap time, 1:20.56 (+0.20).
Andrew Carlson drove the shortest line compared to all the participants. Its advantage was the best suspension, which allowed the Pro4 Truck to jump over the track and also race off-road terrain with ease. He ended up with a best lap time of 1:20.23.
Finally, it was time to see who would win in a head to head race. Subaru had the best start as the RB7 car soon took the lead. However, the longest line was too much for the RB7 car, which eventually arrived last. The fastest was Mad Mike Whiddett in a McLaren P1, second was Andrew Carlson in a Pro4 Truck while third was Scott Speed in a Subaru.
The announcement that from the summer of 2024 a “Black box” or data recorder (a device that records data with a specific algorithm), as part of General Safety Regulations 2, will be mandatory in all new cars sold in the EU, met with opposition from some manufacturer. According to the latest information, Toyota and Subaru are withdrawing their GR86 and BRZ models from the European market due to this regulation.
Two years ago, the EU started to tighten regulations when it comes to safety, introducing mandatory advanced systems to help drivers on the road. This had a great impact on the further development of cars in Europe, so some manufacturers had to convert their models to electric ones.
Toyota and Subaru announced that they are withdrawing their two models, which are actually identical, because compliance with the new regulations would mean modifying them, which these companies do not plan to do. This would require large financial costs, but also with the changes, it would no longer be the same cars that many know and love.
In 2023, Toyota sold 11,078 units of the GR86, which is slightly less than in 2022 when 11,996 GR86s were delivered. Subaru BRZ sales are growing year after year. In 2023, 4,188 units were sold, which is 843 more than the year before (3,345). This could open up space for other manufacturers to fill the gap. One of the choices for customers is the Mazda MX-5, which will be available after 2024.
