Subaru introduced its first-ever plug-in hybrid vehicle, Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, which will be first shown to the public at the Los Angeles auto show and will arrive to first retailers near the end of this year.
The Crosstrek Hybrid (a conventional petrol engine driven Crosstrek has become the brand's third best selling model in the USA since its debut six years ago) features a new Subaru's StarDrive Technology, which combines a 2.0-liter direct-injection boxer engine, electric motors, symmetrical all-wheel drive and Lineartronic CVT transmission. One of the electric motors has a role of engine starter and can be also used as a generator of electricity for hybrid battery, and the other electric motor powers the vehicle in hybrid and electric driving modes. It can also produce electricity.
The Crosstrek Hybrid can reach 105 km/h in electric mode and drive to the distance of about 27 kilometers with full battery charge and in the hybrid mode it consumes around 2,6 litre of petrol per 100 kilometers. Subaru also developed an electronically controlled brake system, with braking control optimized to efficiently distribute braking force between the regenerative braking and mechanical brakes.
