Cult favorite car brand to launch two new models in the UK by 2026… with aim of massive sales expansion

A CULT favorite car brand is set to launch two new models in the UK by 2026 as it aims for a massive sales expansion.

Subaru has long been adored by petrolheads, especially through its long dominance of the rally championships in the 1980s and 1990s.

This gave rise to models such as the iconic Impreza and Outback.

However, sales have declined somewhat in recent years since its 1990s heyday.

Now, the Japanese automaker seeks to reverse the downward trend through electrification and a technical partnership with Toyota, which also holds 20% of the company’s capital.

Bosses are now targeting the UK market as a key growth area in their expansion strategy.

They need people they trust

Lorraine BishtonSubaru UK Managing Director

This will see two new EV models launched here as part of an £8 billion package to launch Subaru into the electric future.

These are, according to Automobilethey will likely be “high-rise hatchbacks” in the style of the current lineup.

The new cars are expected to build on the sales success of the Solterra, the brand’s first fully electric SUV, launched in 2023.

This model was actually a rebadged Toyota and was sold in the US as the bZ4X.

Its siblings are also expected to be co-developed with Toyota through the two brands’ partnership.

Lorraine Bishton, managing director of Subaru UK, emphasized that the new engines will be “safe, tough and fun”.

Subaru will also launch an updated version of the hybrid Forester SUV in the coming years, after the next-generation gasoline model hits showrooms this year.

And speaking of showrooms, the expansion plan goes beyond new models to the company’s dealership network in the United Kingdom.

It currently has 65 dealerships spread across the country, often in rural areas.

But Bishton rejected suggestions of moving from direct ownership to an agency system, saying showrooms are “pillars of their community”.

She added: “We often get asked this question about moving to an agency model.

“But we actually think that, especially when we are going through a period of electric vehicle adoption, customers need support.

“They need people they trust, who they have known for a long time, to help them on this journey.

“We definitely have opportunities where we don’t have good representation today.

“The Southeast is a good example.”

The manufacturer now hopes to expand its network and estimates that global sales could reach one million this year, in the first phase of its growth plan.

It comes after a long-forgotten car company announced it would return to selling engines in the UK after a decade of absence.