Friday 30th September 2005

Subaru Hybrid

Is this really a Scooby?

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Subaru have worked wonders in recent years, transforming themselves from suppliers of bland estates to farmers into a desirable manufacturer shifting Imprezas in vast quantities to power hungry enthusiasts.

Quite where their new bland looking concept is aimed remains unclear. To be displayed at the 39th Tokyo Motor Show is the B5-TPH, for ‘Turbo Parallel Hybrid’.

Subaru Hybrid

The three-door coupe which combines a 260 PS 2.0 litre ‘boxer’ engine with an electric generator/motor fitted between the engine and transmission.

The four-cylinder horizontally-opposed petrol engine features a Miller Cycle system which improves engine efficiency by reducing pumping losses thanks to a combustion expansion stroke that is longer than the compression stroke.

Normally this system makes an engine sluggish at low speeds but thanks to the electric motor, standing-start torque is boosted beyond even an Impreza Turbo’s.

A new type of manganese lithium ion battery charges to 95 per cent capacity in five minutes and operates not just in city driving but also when cruising.

The design of the Subaru B5-TPH itself pays little reference to Subarus of old and few would recognise its origins. It features smooth contours and a large tailgate, hinged just behind the B-post.

But while the B5-TPH continues the theme of previous concept cars such as the B11S and B9 Scrambler, the concept is not meant to hint at any future Subaru models.

The Subaru B5-TPH will be revealed on the first Press Day of the ‘39^th Tokyo Motor Show’ on Wednesday, 19th October.

[r988]

Oh look they took an Audi S3 and put a weird front on it.

At least the engine tech sounds interesting, Mazda is the only other manufacturer to have made a miller cycle engine for a production car that I can think off.

[jims2]

I rather like the look of that. Especially those door mirrors im sure they would fit my S2.

[wab172uk]

Christ............ Look like the Mitsubishi concept X will be the one I buy next then.

[ubergreg]

Hm... can't help but wonder if it's styles this way so as not to detract from the technology on offer?

But yeah, I'd have the Concept X. In black.

[tvrolet]

PH said:

The three-door coupe...

doesn't that just make it a hatchback?

[whirlycooler]

That sounds like a fun car! Hybrid and Petrol performance is a good thing! I would guess provided they can keep it all working together, performance figures would be tremendous.

[fuoriserie]

Is that the new Subaru/Saab design, in fact it looks more like a Saab than a Subaru, but it's less resolved and not as appealing.

[dinkel]

For a rough concept that isn't going to be for real it does look good, it also reads like a promising thingy . . . A bit of a Beemer 1 meets Mini / Stilo rear meets Ford Probe appearance and a bit of the new Suzi Swift . . . Yeah right . . . Lunchtime!