Hybrid Legacy in '07 says the New York Times.

[spieldawg]

..Or at least a prototype. The New York Times has an interesting snippet on the Subaru B5-TPH (Turbo Parallel Hybrid) concept from the Detroit Auto show. "Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subarus, says the system will be tested in a Legacy beginning in 2007." Even more interesting is the supposed 362 lb-ft of torque produced between the engine and electric motor.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/10/automobiles/autospecial/subaru-b5.ready.html?ex=1137906000&en=5f033accb9acbe35&ei=5070
(free registration required, etc...)

[twisted]

finally an m3 killer right out of the showroom...but then i wonder wht bimmer has planned for next gen m3...dammit Subaru ...just make it an even 400 lb ft of torque and end it once and for all.

[*Jedimaster*]

..Or at least a prototype. The New York Times has an interesting snippet on the Subaru B5-TPH (Turbo Parallel Hybrid) concept from the Detroit Auto show. "Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subarus, says the system will be tested in a Legacy beginning in 2007." Even more interesting is the supposed 362 lb-ft of torque produced between the engine and electric motor.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/10/automobiles/autospecial/subaru-b5.ready.html?ex=1137906000&en=5f033accb9acbe35&ei=5070
(free registration required, etc...)
Not cool man- cut and paste, don't make us register.

[heightsgtltd]

from the NYtimes...

"Is it real? As a technology concept for development purposes, yes. As a Subaru that could be bought tomorrow, no. But Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subarus, says the system will be tested in a Legacy beginning in 2007. (The car was first revealed at the Tokyo auto show; Detroit marked its North American debut.)

What’s the point? It’s the environment, stupid. Takao Tsuchiya, corporate executive vice president for product planning, technology and design, says the automaker’s hybrid has the potential to improve a car’s fuel consumption by 30 percent.

The company line: Don’t read too much into the B5-TPH’s shape, the company says. The import aspect is its Turbo Parallel Hybrid (which explains the peculiar name) driveline.

The view from here: Whatever merits of the technology inside, the concept’s shape looks a lot more appealing than most of Subaru’s regular production models.

What makes it tick: Subaru has paired its 256-horsepower turbocharged flat-four with its new lithium ion batteries, adding the equivalent of another 13 horsepower. But the big performance improvement is the torque – 252 pound-feet for the gasoline engine and an additional 110 for the electric. What’s more, the instant power of the electric covers any initial turbo lag.

The lithium ion battery is the first result of a joint venture begun in 2002 by Fuji and NEC. Fred Adcock, executive vice president of Subaru of America, says it will bring cellphone battery technology to the auto industry.

Also in Detroit, Subaru displayed the R1e, an experimental electric version of its Japan-market R1 minicar. The car is powered by three lithium ion batteries placed under the rear seat and trunk area. Theoretically, says Mr. Tsuchiya, 90 percent of the battery can be recharged in only five minutes.

How much, how soon? Impossible to say. Too many test miles and battery manufacturing calculations have to be done before any of this sees a showroom.

How’s it look? Looks aren’t important here: it’s the battery technology. It is critical to the hybrid driveline and, if lithium ion is as good as Subaru hopes, the obituaries for the electric car may have been premature."


--Being tested in a legacy in 2007 doesnt mean it will see production then. IF you read on, it says alot has to be done before it sees production.
So the article doesnt really say to expect a hybrid in '07.

[Jon [in CT]]

Not cool man- cut and paste, don't make us register.Ever heard of bugmenot.com?

[*Jedimaster*]

']Ever heard of bugmenot.com?
Ever heard of GTFO?

[heightsgtltd]

I'll chime in,
for the original poster, ever heard of make sure that what is stated in the article actually matches what you post :lol:

I digress...

[Double-V]

The company line: Don’t read too much into the B5-TPH’s shape, the company says. The import aspect is its Turbo Parallel Hybrid (which explains the peculiar name) driveline.


TPH also stands for Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons. :lol:

[DAP]

']Ever heard of bugmenot.com (http://bugmenot.com)?
Blocked by my companey.

[legacy_y_tu]

There's some info on this system in the most recent Driven mag.

[geddyup]

great report

[agctr]

Trust me... ///M has that trumped already... easily.
Ada///M.

[IanKen]

Snide comments aside, I think it would be neat for someone to finally come out with a hybrid that is both fuel effecicent AND not a dog perf-wise.

A friend has an 06 civic hybrid. Very nice car, but a yugo powered by a caffinated gerbil would out run it.

[starlabs]

I think that's the future (near-future) for most cars actually... hybrids. Even for performance vehicles.

It'll be great to see a 300hp+ turbo hybrid Subie with some nice lowend torque.

[andrew.anderson]

Maybe by the time I redeploy it will be time to get a new car :icon_bigg

[SLegacy99]

Flat four? Does this mean theyre keeping the 2.5L? Pretty sweet I think. Assuming the head gasket issue is a things of the past.

[Jon [in CT]]

Trust me... ///M has that trumped already... easily.
Ada///M.Subaru deliberately chose its least powerful JDM turbo engine to demonstrate the TPH system because it wanted to emphasize the electric motor aspect. Subaru could just as easily have used the 3.0L twin turbo engine from the B11S concept car. That engine was rated by Subaru as 294 kW (394 hp) @ 6400 RPM and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) between 3600 and 4800 RPM. Toss in the 10 kW and 150 Nm supplied by the electric motor and the resulting TPH would be rated at 304 kW (408 hp) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft). That's more power than any M3 and more torque than any BMW M ever produced, including the current M5 and M6.

BTW, here's a nice hi-res picture of the TPH powertrain:
http://www.subaru-presse.de/Messen/TMS2005/B5_PowerUnit.jpg

[heightsgtltd]

']Subaru deliberately chose its least powerful JDM turbo engine to demonstrate the TPH system because it wanted to emphasize the electric motor aspect. Subaru could just as easily have used the 3.0L twin turbo engine from the B11S concept car. That engine was rated by Subaru as 294 kW (394 hp) @ 6400 RPM and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) between 3600 and 4800 RPM. Toss in the 10 kW and 150 Nm supplied by the electric motor and the resulting TPH would be rated at 304 kW (408 hp) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft). That's more power than any M3 and more torque than any BMW M ever produced, including the current M5 and M6.

BTW, here's a nice hi-res picture of the TPH powertrain:
http://www.subaru-presse.de/Messen/TMS2005/B5_PowerUnit.jpg


BMW M cars have never been torque monsters. If you are looking for 500lb/ft+ of torque, swing over to mercedes. Their top power plants toruque start in the 470ish range, and go up to 700!

[STIJibz]

BMW M cars have never been torque monsters. If you are looking for 500lb/ft+ of torque, swing over to mercedes. Their top power plants toruque start in the 470ish range, and go up to 700!

the SL65 says it all :icon_twis

biturbo V12s aren't known for producing low torque numbers :lol:

[turboliberty]

I speculate that the first Suby Hybrid model won't show up until 2009 as a 2010 model.

[Jedi Pimp]

The only thing I don't like is all the hybrid powertrains offered today and talked about in the future are saddled with automatic transmissions. So if you like to shift on your own no soup for you. I don't care how much torque it has if its an auto it sucks the driving fun out of the car. Plus it has to have more torque - I mean the electric motor and related batteries aren't exactly lightweight components.

[SLegacy99]

Isnt the insight available with the manual tranny?

[fzanetti]

']Subaru deliberately chose its least powerful JDM turbo engine to demonstrate the TPH system because it wanted to emphasize the electric motor aspect. Subaru could just as easily have used the 3.0L twin turbo engine from the B11S concept car. That engine was rated by Subaru as 294 kW (394 hp) @ 6400 RPM and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) between 3600 and 4800 RPM. Toss in the 10 kW and 150 Nm supplied by the electric motor and the resulting TPH would be rated at 304 kW (408 hp) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft). That's more power than any M3 and more torque than any BMW M ever produced, including the current M5 and M6.

BTW, here's a nice hi-res picture of the TPH powertrain:
http://www.subaru-presse.de/Messen/TMS2005/B5_PowerUnit.jpg


GREAT NEWS!!!!!

Can't wait for this to come to the States, if ever!!!!

Flavio Zanetti
Boston, MA

[fzanetti]

The only thing I don't like is all the hybrid powertrains offered today and talked about in the future are saddled with automatic transmissions. So if you like to shift on your own no soup for you. I don't care how much torque it has if its an auto it sucks the driving fun out of the car. Plus it has to have more torque - I mean the electric motor and related batteries aren't exactly lightweight components.

+1!!!!!

Flavio Zanetti
Boston, MA