Subaru: Trailseeker and Outback won’t compete

Subaru Australia is confident its new Trailseeker won’t cannibalise Outback sales and insists its new EV hasn’t been positioned as a tactical upsell over the internal combustion model following significant pre-launch price cuts.

Speaking to media at last week’s Trailseeker launch, Inchcape Australasia marketing director Amanda Leaney said that while Trailseeker and Outback share a segment, their intents are different enough to justify both their existences.

“The powertrain range that we can offer means we have choice for customers,” she said.

“So those who are looking for an electric all-terrain wagon, Trailseeker meets that need; those looking for turbocharged performance and a bit more towing capacity, we have the Outback [Wilderness] for that.”

A key detail here is the respective pricing of the Trailseeker and Outback Wilderness ranges (the Wilderness variants are the only turbocharged Outbacks available).

The Trailseeker AWD starts from $63,990 plus on-road costs – just $4300 upstream of the Outback Wilderness AWD ($59,690) and a mere $1300 above the better-equipped Wilderness Apex AWD ($62,690).

The Trailseeker Touring AWD retails for a loftier $69,990 plus on-roads costs, making it $7300 dearer than the Wilderness Apex AWD.

Price differentials this narrow between ICE and EV models are becoming more commonplace these days but still aren’t especially prevalent among legacy brands given the power and outright performance gulf between these two models.

When questions arose as to why the Trailseeker didn’t carry the Euro-centric E-Outback nameplate Down Under, Subaru Australia general manager Scott Lawrence echoed Leaney’s sentiments about the two models being different enough to coexist.

“The Outback nameplate stands for something, particularly in Australia … it really has a presence,” he said.

“The character of Trailseeker really lends itself to the name.

“The models live side by side, not compete, so we thought it was the best call to separate them and have their own lives within our arrangement.”

Just prior, Lawrence had drawn attention to the fact all of the brand’s core SUV models would soon have an electric counterpart: Crosstrek and Uncharted, Forester and Solterra, Outback and Trailseeker.

“The expansion of the model range really puts a lot more choices to consumers … they (EVs) live in a family, which is great for our consumers,” he said.

Subaru will soon add the compact Uncharted to its local portfolio, taking its SUV model count to six.

Lawrence previously teased an expansion of the Wilderness ensemble – currently limited to one model Down Under – and has continued to assure media there’s more to come from STI on the performance front.

Whether or not the Trailseeker will get the Wilderness treatment remains to be seen, but we’re doubtful there’ll be an STI halo any time soon… the Uncharted could be in with a better chance, however.

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