In 2014 Subaru (FUJHY, Financial) has developed a new powertrain that helps the Crosstrek to gain popularity, and remain the king of the new category it defined. Car buyers might call the compact-hatchback all-wheel drive crossover utility vehicle. Recently, during end of the last year, the Crosstrek has been released in its hybrid engine form which holds a lot of promise for Subaru fans. Those who are familiar with the features of the conventional Crossstrek model will surely find the hybrid with a list of upgrades that might be luring to most of the Subaru model seekers. Let’s assess how the hybrid market is growing currently in the U.S., and how the Crosstrek model is built to achieve the ultimate success. Here’s the final story.
The hybrid space
The concept of hybrids has been a sure hit in the U.S. for the past few years. The market honcho, Toyota (TM, Financial), was the pioneer in capitalizing this opportunity when it launched the Prius series which have been in high demand among hybrid car buyers in the U.S. Truly speaking, Subaru has been late in targeting this segment which is seeing growing popularity as emission norms are becoming stringent in some U.S. states, especially California.
In 2013, hybrid sales in the U.S. were up 13%, and according to Green Car Reports – “If any carmaker should already have had a hybrid in its lineup, it's Subaru.” As other hybrids are much costlier than the Crosstrek hybrid which belongs to the compact SUV/CUV segment, Subaru hybrid looks pretty impressive from the buyer’s standpoint. Also to be noted, its all-wheel-drive feature present in the XV hybrid version adds to the attraction pointers, since there is only one competitor to this race and that’s the Toyota Highlander which is selling with a premium sticker price of $48,160.
Taking a calculated forward step
The XV Crosstrek Hybrid with the all-wheel drive comes with a price tag of $29,995 and is an excellent choice for those looking for a sporty and affordable green car option. Subaru management took the risk of introducing the hybrid first in Japan where it turned into a hit after which it got released in North American roads. The model has features such as more luggage space, a spacious rear seat, and a quieter engine than its conventional counterpart – such attributes add value to the model which has seen sales growing in the U.S. since its launch. Only in August, there has been a drop in hybrid sales as the conventional model was in high demand.
Though recently the hybrid sales in the U.S. is witnessing a fall, and the momentum has slowed considerably Subaru looks well planned as it has offered the first hybrid in a segment which has seen huge growth pace as far as crossovers are concerned. The XV Crosstrek Hybrid’s attractive pricing also helps in holding up sales at decent levels even when hybrid sales has cooled down a bit, with market share dropping slightly to 3.6% through August 2014 from 3.7% a year-ago.
The wise call
In today’s era, building a hybrid which has refined features and complies with emission norms is like a pie on the cake for an automaker. Subaru has also joined the league of hybrid car makers, as it forges ahead with its aspiration to win more Subaru fans in the U.S. for its crossover models. Let’s keep an eye how the XV hybrid sales grows in the forthcoming months and only after a year of the launch would we be able to assess its success globally. So, let’s stay tuned.
