Oct 7, 2026 · 10 min · 7 segments
The 2026 Subaru Trailseeker Touring EV wears a Subaru badge, but its family tree tells a much bigger story about how modern vehicles are developed and built. In this *TechMobility Topics* segment, I…
Ken ChesterHost
And if you weren't around then or didn't understand, once upon a time, Subaru tried to break out of its shell.
In fact, their slogan even prior to this was, "Inexpensive and built to stay that way." Subaru was a little bit boring, but if you were in New England, in Colorado, if you were in the mountains, if there was snow involved, you owned a Subaru, because you knew it was one of the only things you could get through.
If you wanted to go and b- get a car, four-wheel drive, when nobody else hardly was offering that for performance and just getting around at an affordable price, Subaru was your choice.
So they came out with this little f- and it is [laughs] you would not mistake it for anything.
So the commercial where dad said, "Get another Subaru," and the kid gets this flashy thing, Dad doesn't recognize it.
Dad says, "Well, I thought we agreed you'd get another Subaru." The kid, "But, Dad, I did." So the dad was a little confused, and unfortunately, so was the public.
It would nearly kill Subaru, and it would come back in the '90s, thanks to the Outback, and go back to their roots.
Although the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker is a brand-new addition to the automaker's lineup, the history of the platform is not.
To be honest, the history of the automotive industry is full of platform and brand extensions, sharing, and badge engineering, [laughs] even between rival auto manufacturers.
The history of this model actually goes back to April 2021 and was debuted, wait for it, by Toyota as the e- BX4- as the bZ-X4, I hate when they do that, concept.
2025, last year, the model received a major refresh that included design updates and major mechanical improvements, such as more efficient electric motors, improved cooling, and higher output.
And if you weren't around then or didn't understand, once upon a time, Subaru tried to break out of its shell.
In fact, their slogan even prior to this was, "Inexpensive and built to stay that way." Subaru was a little bit boring, but if you were in New England, in Colorado, if you were in the mountains, if there was snow involved, you owned a Subaru, because you knew it was one of the only things you could get through.
If you wanted to go and b- get a car, four-wheel drive, when nobody else hardly was offering that for performance and just getting around at an affordable price, Subaru was your choice.
So they came out with this little f- and it is [laughs] you would not mistake it for anything.
So the commercial where dad said, "Get another Subaru," and the kid gets this flashy thing, Dad doesn't recognize it.
Dad says, "Well, I thought we agreed you'd get another Subaru." The kid, "But, Dad, I did." So the dad was a little confused, and unfortunately, so was the public.
It would nearly kill Subaru, and it would come back in the '90s, thanks to the Outback, and go back to their roots.
Although the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker is a brand-new addition to the automaker's lineup, the history of the platform is not.
To be honest, the history of the automotive industry is full of platform and brand extensions, sharing, and badge engineering, [laughs] even between rival auto manufacturers.
The history of this model actually goes back to April 2021 and was debuted, wait for it, by Toyota as the e- BX4- as the bZ-X4, I hate when they do that, concept.
2025, last year, the model received a major refresh that included design updates and major mechanical improvements, such as more efficient electric motors, improved cooling, and higher output.
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