Subaru Hybrid Tourer news - Hy’ flier - 2009

After a lifetime of abstinence, Subaru has finally slipped its environmental socks on. While other car firms have been hybridding and electrifying their cars for years, Subaru has been hooning around rally stages or larking around with Ken Block. This Hybrid Tourer will change that.
 
It has three motors - one petrol and two electric. Because it's a Subaru, the petrol engine is a 2.0-litre boxer, loosely related to the one in an Impreza. The first electric motor sits at the front of the car, next to the petrol engine, but only chips in power to the front wheels when the car's going uphill. When it's not sending power to the wheels, it acts as a power generator to run things like the stereo and wipers.
 
The other electric motor sits at the back and is used at really low speed; say, when you're reversing into your garage. It also assists the petrol engine under acceleration.
 
Most of the time, though, it's the boxer that does the driving and power is delivered through a CVT gearbox. There's a stop/start function too, to save a little more fuel.
 
It also has the biggest gullwing doors we've ever seen, running the entire length of the car, so they serve both the front and back seats.
 
The car will be shown at the Tokyo show later this month.
 
Now watch a Subaru doing what it does best: