Hot on the heels of an eventual Covid-19 wind down, the New Zealand arrival of Subaru’s All-Wheel Drive e-Boxer Hybrids in Forester and XV variants is only a matter of weeks away.

Subaru’s 16 Authorised Subaru Centres nationwide will have demonstrator vehicles available to test drive from June 1st, enabling customers to experience for themselves that the e-Boxer Hybrids have the same DNA as all the NZ-new Subarus launched before them – and according to Subaru, with no compromise in their performance or their capability.

Subaru of New Zealand’s Managing Director, Wallis Dumper does caution interested parties that only a limited number of the All-Wheel Drive e-Boxer Hybrids will be available in 2020.

“Customers who are keen on owning one of our e-Boxer Hybrids will need to move quickly as between limited factory production and global demand, New Zealand has only managed to secure small quantities of around 10-20 per month, with an initial allocation of 20 to be delivered in September and October,” Mr Dumper says.

The SUVs have identical petrol-electric engines, with both models featuring e-Boxer power – a 2.0 litre horizontally opposed Boxer engine linked via Motor Assist to a high voltage lithium ion battery – offering fuel economy benefits, particularly in congested city driving.

Subary says the XV Hybrid offers over 14% improvement in fuel efficiency over equivalent petrol variants in the urban cycle and over 7% improvement in the combined cycle. Forester Hybrid offers an improvement of over 9% (compared to 2.5-litre petrol variants) in the combined cycle and over 19% in the urban cycle (when tested in accordance with ADR81/02).

Mr Dumper adds: “Forester and XV have both been huge successes in our range and we know there is pent-up demand for hybrid variants among our Subaru owners, who are some of the most loyal customers in the industry. We are not letting COVID-19 get in the way of letting them access these new models – we just need to do things differently.”

Customers are encouraged to register their interest online at www.subaru.co.nz/eboxer. From June 1st they can test drive the e-Boxer Hybrids and secure their chosen model on www.subaru.co.nz/eboxer. Full details and instructions on how to secure an e-Boxer Hybrid will be emailed at the end of May to those customers who have registered on the Subaru New Zealand website.

Mr Dumper assures customers that Subaru’s first steps into the hybrid arena are being taken with the continued performance capability that Subaru drivers know and love, with All-Wheel Drive technology and a Boxer engine now packaged in a hybrid.

“The e-Boxer Hybrid engines simply add a new dimension to the Forester and XV model line-ups. The great thing is that Kiwi Subaru owners will know that Subaru tends to be a bit unique in their approach to technology, so in the e-Boxers’ case, Subaru Corporation didn’t build a hybrid until they could make it with the full Subaru DNA!” he says.

Forester Sport e-Boxer Hybrid is priced from $47,490, through to the range-topping Forester Premium e-Boxer Hybrid at $54,990. The hybrid version of Subaru’s top-selling XV model is $42,490 RRP for the Subaru XV Sport e-Boxer Hybrid and comes in an exclusive new colour option – Lagoon Blue Pearl for the 2020 launch programme.

The e-Boxer Hybrids can be secured for $99 per week, for both the XV and Forester models, through Subaru’s Accelerator Programme via Heartland Bank. Additional information will be available about this offer and will be emailed to those that have registered to find out more on June 1st.

Mr Dumper assures customers that Subaru’s locally owned and operated Authorised Centres can continue to deliver excellent customer service through the purchase process of a new e-Boxer Hybrid model, despite the ‘new normal’ way of buying a vehicle.

“While COVID-19 has disrupted new model launches all over the world, Subaru recently introduced a new initiative called SUBARU SAFE to reassure customers that they are safe to do business with Subaru. Our brand has chosen to continue with its original plans to bring the hybrid SUVs to market in New Zealand,” he says.

“We believe the e-Boxer Hybrids are worth the wait as they are perfect for New Zealand. Sure, global demand and production constraints have tested our patience, however it’s more relevant than ever to have a hybrid in our model line-up, and we’re excited to be able to offer our e-Boxers to Kiwis for only $99 per week. With so many of us having to change so much in recent times, our new hybrid models represent the ideal way to enjoy New Zealand!

“It’s almost as though these hybrids are engineered for New Zealand and chances are that lots of Kiwis will be wanting to get out and road trip around our great country, more than ever before, as heading overseas is not an option right now. When local tourism is reborn, these e-Boxer Hybrids come with the added benefit of being made for our environment, both from a capability perspective and treading a little lighter on it too!” Mr Dumper concludes.

Customers can register their interest at www.subaru.co.nz/eboxer, with more details about how to secure Subaru e-Boxer Hybrid to be announced over the coming weeks.

You can find out more about SUBARU SAFE, Subaru’s Safety Commitment in the face of COVID-19 here: www.subaru.co.nz/subaru-safe

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Fred Alvrez
How on earth to start this? I've been car/bike/truck crazy since I was a teen. Like John, I had the obligatory Countach poster on the wall. I guess I'm more officially into classic and muscle cars than anything else - I currently have a '65 Sunbeam Tiger that left the factory the same day as I left the hospital as a newborn with my mother. How could I not buy that car? In 2016 my wife and I drove across the USA in a brand-new Dodge Challenger, and then shipped it home. You can read more on www.usa2nz.co.nz. We did this again in 2019 in a 1990 Chev Corvette - you can read about that trip on DriveLife. I'm a driving instructor and an Observer for the Institute of Advanced Motorists - trying to do my bit to make our roads safer.

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