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Subaru Solterra Teaser Gets Unofficially Decoded Into a Toyota bZ4X EV Clone

Back in April, we finally took a good look at the first representative of Toyota’s new “Beyond Zero” battery-electric strategy, the strangely named bZ4X concept SUV. Earlier this month, Subaru, which is also fully involved in the development process, has teased us with a shadowy figure of a sibling SUV and called it the Solterra. And that means that at least one of the production models has a name that’s easy to pronounce, irrespective of one's native language.
Subaru Solterra rendered in production guise by TopElectricSUV 9 photos
Photo: topelectricsuv.com
Subaru Solterra rendered in production guise by TopElectricSUVSubaru Solterra rendered in production guise by TopElectricSUVSubaru Solterra rendered in production guise by TopElectricSUVSubaru Solterra rendered in production guise by TopElectricSUVSubaru Solterra rendered in production guise by TopElectricSUVSubaru Solterra rendered in production guise by TopElectricSUVSubaru Solterra rendered in production guise by TopElectricSUVSubaru Solterra rendered in production guise by TopElectricSUV
Even better, the good folks over at TopElectricSUV decided the teaser was quite easy to decipher and thus came up with the latest information about the upcoming Solterra, as well as a neat render to try and showcase its unofficial design cues. This preview looks realistic indeed, but there’s a catch.

Just a glance at the virtual styling and a good look at Toyota’s own bZ4X prototype shows that we’re dealing with nearly identical siblings. We already know the technology will be shared without too many modifications in a bid to both lower the development costs and get these battery-powered models faster on the market.

But we really need to be taking with a heavy dose of salt the idea that Toyota and Subaru won't separate their collaborative effort on a visual level. Yes, we know that Toyota and Subaru have other siblings, but even the GR 86 and BRZ have personalities of their own.

Meanwhile, this virtual depiction of the Subaru Solterra seems like an almost perfect clone of the bZ4X (we’ve also added the Toyota to the gallery and there’s a very comparable angle for both cars), so it almost seems too lazy on the automakers to just change a styling line or two, here and there, and call it a day.

Of course, it’s probably not long before we find out the truth, as the Solterra and bZ4X are both expected to reach their intended markets (including the U.S., Europe, and Asia) by mid-2022, so we should be seeing them make an official splash sooner rather than later.
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Editor's note: Gallery includes official images of the Subaru Solterra and Toyota bZ4X.

About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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