Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid discontinued for 2017 model yearSubaru Crosstrek Hybrid discontinued for 2017 model year

You can scratch one model off the list of hybrids available in the U.S.
The Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid will be discontinued for the 2017 model year, marking the end of the line for Subaru’s first production hybrid car.
The rest of the Crosstrek lineup will continue with minor changes as Subaru prepares redesigned Impreza and Crosstrek models for launch over the next two years.
CHECK OUT: 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid: Gas Mileage Review (Mar 2014)
The Crosstrek Hybrid was discontinued due to poor sales, according to CarsDirect.
Like Subaru’s larger Outback, the Crosstrek (previous known as the XV Crosstrek) is essentially a passenger car with a taller ride height and more rugged styling meant to appeal to SUV buyers.
But while the Outback is based on the Subaru Legacy wagon (no longer sold in the U.S.), the Crosstrek is based on the Impreza compact hatchback.
2016 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid
The Crosstrek was introduced as a 2013 model, and the hybrid followed for the 2014 model year.
The hybrid Crosstrek was designed and engineered entirely in-house by Subaru despite Toyota’s substantial ownership stake in the smaller carmaker.
The hybrid added a 10-kilowatt (13-horsepower) electric motor and 0.6-kilowatt-hour nickel-metal hydride battery pack to the 2.0-liter boxer-four engine and CVT automatic transmission available in non-hybrid versions of the Crosstrek.
ALSO SEE: Subaru XV Concept hints at next Crosstrek due for 2018 model year
The 2016 Crosstrek Hybrid was rated at 31 mpg combined (29 mpg city, 33 mpg highway), compared to 29 mpg combined (26 mpg city, 33 mpg highway) for the non-hybrid, CVT-equipped Crosstrek.
When we tested both versions around the time of their launches, we noticed that the fuel-economy gap between the two shrank to virtually nothing in real-world driving.
A slim fuel-economy advantage may have been partly to blame for the Crosstrek Hybrid’s low sales.
Subaru XV concept, 2016 Geneva Motor Show
Subaru will soon introduce a redesigned non-hybrid Crosstrek, based on the next-generation Impreza that will launch as a 2017 model.
Previewed by the XV Concept from the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, the new Crosstrek will likely appear as a 2018 model.
But it is unclear whether the Crosstrek Hybrid will return, now that it faces more serious competition from contenders like the all-wheel-drive Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.
MORE: All-electric Subaru crossover utility vehicle coming in 2021: Japanese report
Instead, Subaru may move on to an all-electric crossover utility vehicle.
An August report out of Japan claimed Subaru was developing such a model with an eye toward a 2021 launch.
Thus far, the carmaker has not confirmed any such plans.
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