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Subaru and Toyota will co-develop a new EV platform

This electric vehicle architecture will first spawn a compact SUV to be sold under both brands.

Subaru Toyota EV Platform
Subaru, Toyota

Subaru and will partner to create a brand-new electric vehicle platform, both automakers confirmed Thursday. The Japanese companies will jointly develop a compact SUV on this architecture, a version of which will be sold under both brands.

"The two companies intend to take up the challenge of creating attractive products with appeal that only BEVs (battery electric vehicles) can offer," the automakers said in a statement.

Subaru and Toyota say this collaboration will play off the strengths of both companies. Toyota will bring its vehicle electrification expertise to the table, while Subaru will provide the all-wheel-drive system. Following the launch of the upcoming compact SUV, the companies say the new electric vehicle platform will be flexible enough that it can underpin a range of C- and D-segment sedans and SUVs.

This won't be the first time Subaru and Toyota have partnered on vehicle development; the companies initially formed a collaborative partnership in 2005. The first co-developed vehicles were the small, rear-wheel-drive and twins (as well as the now-deceased Scion FR-S). Last year, Toyota applied its hybrid electric vehicle technologies to Subaru's , resulting in the .

Neither automaker provided a timeline as to when this new vehicle platform will be finished, nor did they say when we could expect the first EV SUV to launch. But since we're talking about ground-up development here, it's reasonable to assume the fruits of this shared labor won't arrive for quite some time.

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Steven Ewing Former managing editor
Steven Ewing spent his childhood reading car magazines, making his career as an automotive journalist an absolute dream job. After getting his foot in the door at Automobile while he was still a teenager, Ewing found homes on the mastheads at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog and Motor1.com before joining the CNET team in 2018. He has also served on the World Car Awards jury. Ewing grew up ingrained in the car culture of Detroit -- the Motor City -- before eventually moving to Los Angeles. In his free time, Ewing loves to cook, binge trash TV and play the drums.
Steven Ewing
Steven Ewing spent his childhood reading car magazines, making his career as an automotive journalist an absolute dream job. After getting his foot in the door at Automobile while he was still a teenager, Ewing found homes on the mastheads at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog and Motor1.com before joining the CNET team in 2018. He has also served on the World Car Awards jury. Ewing grew up ingrained in the car culture of Detroit -- the Motor City -- before eventually moving to Los Angeles. In his free time, Ewing loves to cook, binge trash TV and play the drums.

Article updated on June 6, 2019 at 8:39 AM PDT

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Steven Ewing Former managing editor
Steven Ewing spent his childhood reading car magazines, making his career as an automotive journalist an absolute dream job. After getting his foot in the door at Automobile while he was still a teenager, Ewing found homes on the mastheads at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog and Motor1.com before joining the CNET team in 2018. He has also served on the World Car Awards jury. Ewing grew up ingrained in the car culture of Detroit -- the Motor City -- before eventually moving to Los Angeles. In his free time, Ewing loves to cook, binge trash TV and play the drums.
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