Subaru has designed the new platform to deliver wide-ranging benefits in terms of vehicle performance and it splits the key advantages into the “dynamic feel” and “safety” categories.
Advertisement
The platform will showcase an immensely rigid construction, with the body and chassis some 70-100 per cent stiffer than the current layouts.
Straight-line stability, NVH and comfort are all expected to gain from the new architecture, the company indicates, and in due course hybrid-drive vehicles and perhaps even battery/electric vehicles will be developed on this platform. Finally, the increased use of high-tensile strength steel improves energy absorption in the event of an accident by 40 percent.
Subaru has laid out in broad strokes its new “Global Platform”, which will form the foundation for all future Subaru models, and the focus is on refinement, safety, and adaptability to alternative powertrains.
Advertisement
“The Subaru Global Platform lifts Subaru’s automotive technology to new heights”. And that “substantial improvements to the suspension” , like mounting the suspension directly to the body has allowed the centre of gravity to become 5mm lower. That means the critical components for any given model could be made at either of its two plants in Japan or at Subaru of in plant in the United States without retooling, freeing up production capacity for in-demand models and making the whole process more flexible. “We continue to work on designing ever-more attractive vehicles that offer the customer both enjoyment and peace of mind”, commented Fuji Heavy Industries President Yasuyuki Yoshinaga. Its modular nature makes it also adaptable for electrification, confirming in the same time that hybrid Subarus are on the way. The new single design concept for all its cars allows Subaru to adjust the basic specifications to match the requirements of its customers. The platform will also allow them to build different models on the same production line which will in turn help them save cost.
