NEW YORK – The Subaru XV Crosstrek is selling at twice the expected rate, and the auto maker is looking to the forthcoming hybrid version of the cross/utility vehicle to keep pace.
Subaru anticipated annual sales of 12,000 to 15,000 units of conventionally powered XV Crosstreks when the 5-passenger CUV hit showrooms last summer, but the auto maker is delivering about 3,000 a month.
That raises the bar for the XV Crosstrek Hybrid, which Subaru originally said would account for about 10% of XV deliveries. A Subaru spokesman tells WardsAuto during the hybrid’s unveiling at the New York auto show that at current monthly sales of 3,000 units, 300 hybrids per month would be “the right volume.”
The CUV also will be available in Canada and in Japan.
The hybrid has the same full-time all-wheel drive as the conventional XV Crosstrek, and can reach 25 mph (40 km/h) when powered solely by its 13.4-hp electric motor. Its battery-only cruising range is only about 1 mile (1.6 km), but the battery pack sufficiently recharges after a few miles of driving to give the EV another mile of range.
While the XV Crosstrek Hybrid is due in the third quarter, Tom Doll, executive vice president-Subaru of America, tells WardsAuto a production version of the next-generation WRX turbocharged sport sedan is not far away. A concept version is displayed at the New York show, but Doll does not say whether the fourth-generation WRX will debut at this fall’s Tokyo show.
The auto maker does not forecast sales volume for the next-gen WRX.
A Subaru spokesman says a new STI version will arrive at the same time, probably with the identical 2.0L displacement as today's engine, but horsepower may be “north” of the 250 made by the current WRX mill.
Subaru sold 366,441 vehicles in 2012 in the U.S., its sixth consecutive yearly volume increase and fifth straight annual sales record. Doll predicts deliveries of at least 380,000 units this year, but the auto maker could break the 400,000 barrier if the market stays strong.
