Subaru Unveils New Development Hub Aimed at Speeding Up EV Production

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:25 JST, December 16, 2023

Subaru Corp. has unveiled to the press its new development base set up in their Gunma plant in Ota, Gunma Prefecture, ahead the start of its operation next month.

The new facility aims to speed up development of electric vehicles and includes a space dedicated to co-manufacturing with makers of auto parts.

The carmaker spent approximately ¥30 billion to build the seven-story facility which spans 48,000 square meters of floor space, which is twice the size of their headquarters.

Subaru hopes that the operation of the facility will help reduce the development time of EVs to one-half that of gasoline vehicles.

A 12-meter-wide high-definition display on the seventh floor will show computer graphics of cars in development to simulate how they run and how light reflects on their bodies.

“We used to develop gasoline-powered vehicles by passing the baton [from one department to another], but the same approach cannot speed up the development of EVs,” said Hiroshi Watahiki, managing executive officer of Subaru. “We want to proceed with developing EVs in an integrated manner, including with our suppliers.”