Subaru understood it has to addapt to current needs of its clients and to further reduce the costs of producing newer cars. So together with its investor, Fuji Heavy Industries, has developed a new global platform, as every major manufacturer. It is currently under development as the architecture to be used for all the company’s next-generation vehicles.
The Subaru Global Platform is part of the six initiatives to enhance the Subaru brand described in the company’s mid-term management vision, ‘Prominence 2020’, announced in 2014. Together with the horizontally-opposed engines, Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD), and EyeSight that represent Subaru’s core technologies, the new platform will constitute the basic foundation of the next generation of Subaru vehicles.
The next-generation platform looks ahead to 2025. The main features will further refine Subaru’s dynamic feel in the following areas: Straight-line stability, noise and vibration suppression and comfort. The new platform increases the rigidity of the suspension mounting, improving the absorption of the suspension without warping the body of the car.
By mounting the rear stabiliser directly to the body, the new platform reduces the body roll of the vehicle by 50% compared to present models.
The new platform achieves a center of gravity that is 5 mm lower than present models. Together with the major improvements in rigidity and the evolution of the suspension system, this lower center of gravity makes possible a more stable driving experience than ever before.
Thanks to a frame structure that enables more efficient energy absorption in the event of collision, and enhanced body rigidity resulting from increased use of high-tensile steel plates (including materials formed by the hot press method), impact energy absorption is improved by 40% over present models. The platform anticipates further improvements in strength and new materials and has the potential to continue to offer the world’s highest levels of collision safety even in 2025.
The Subaru Global Platform will be used in the development of all Subaru vehicles from now on, beginning with the next-generation Impreza, due later in 2016.
