Diesel, electric future for Subaru

The maker of the ram-raid car of the century, the WRX, will give European showgoers a glimpse into its future early next month. And it's not a faster, hairier street racer, but rather a new diesel powerplant and an electric-power citycar.

While the all-new Impreza is set to take headlines when it finally appears, Subaru is keen to show its responsible side at next month's Geneva and will display both a new turbodiesel powerplant and a battery-powered version of its R1 minicar.

The turbodiesel follows Subaru's trademark horizontally-opposed Boxer format (see cutaway) and will feature direct-injection and a variable geometry turbocharger. Beyond that, Subaru is not saying… Capacity, power output, torque figures and expected fuel economy are all under the hat.

The first application of the engine is expected in the 2008 model year "in the European market". If we were betting people, we'd suggest that it will be in the Liberty replacement -- due around that time -- with a capacity of not more than 2.0-litres.

Subaru will also be displaying its R1e electric minicar. Presently being road tested in daily use by the Tokyo Electric Power Co Ltd (TEPCO), the R1e features new high-speed battery-charging technology, according to the carmaker.

The R1 (also pictured) has been available in Japan with a conventional 660cc petrol-engined powerplant for more than three years.