It’s been recognized as a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) since June of last year and Motor Image Pilipinas certainly took its sweet time, but it looks like it we don’t have to wait long for the launch of the Subaru Crosstrek e-Boxer Hybrid.
Sources within the exclusive distributor of Subaru vehicles in the Philippines admits that demand for the new Forester Hybrid (read our full review) has been so strong that demand has been outpacing supply by 82 percent during the entirety of 2025.
Their full-year 2025 sales of 569 units is a 56 percent decline compared to 2024.
In the first quarter of 2026, just as Filipinos shifted buying preference from conventional to electrified models, Motor Image Pilipinas hasn’t fared any better. The company managed to sell just six units of the Forester Hybrid—five of them were in March.
Year to date 2026, Subaru has sold 113 units putting them in 25th place in overall sales even behind Mercedes-Benz (119 units), BMW (230 units), and Mazda (379 units).
To manage that, Subaru will offer a second hybrid electric vehicle, the Crosstrek e-Boxer Hybrid by late second quarter 2026.
Likely to make a market debut at the Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) in June, the e-Boxer Hybrid is different from the SHEV system found in the Forester.
In terms of technology, the e-Boxer is the older one, having debuted way back in 2018 in the Crosstrek’s predecessor, the Subaru XV. The electrified 2.0-liter is said to offer modest fuel efficiency improvements—up to 10 percent—in real world scenarios.
However, because its electric motor has its own indicated output (17 horsepower or 12.3 kW and 65 Nm) and it can run purely in EV mode thanks to a 0.57 kWh battery, it manages to get the DOE’s nod as a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). It therefore gains access to benefits such as exemption from number coding.
Number is small and of course after a bad year their percentage will rise again. It's about time to bring in the Solterra, Trailseeker, Getaway, and Uncharted.
ReplyDeleteSubaru cars are definitely not the most handsome in the market. However if they brought in the Uncharted this will change and sales should increase. Appearance is everything, if it's pleasing to look it's desirable to own.
ReplyDeleteIs that so? Then you don't know a lot about cars. You're a casual. A normie. It's not all about appearance bro, that's too shallow.
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