2009 Tokyo Motor Show: Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept

Among the striking models unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show is the Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept. The Subaru concept gets gullwing doors, while it has been designed to be as aerodynamic as possible with a bright, airy interior.

For its interior, it gets a luxurious interior with four individual seats covered in a mesh material similar to those seen in the Ford Iosis Max Concept at Geneva earlier in 2009. Its hybrid powertrain powers all four wheels. It consists of a 2.0-litre horizontally opposed direct injection turbocharged petrol engine and two electric motors – a 10kw one at the front, and a 20kw one at the rear. The concept uses lithium-ion batteries. When the car is going at low speeds, the rear electric motor is primarily used to improve efficiency, while the conventional engine is used at motorway and cruising speeds. During acceleration, the rear electric motor supports the petrol engine to provide better performance. Subaru said that the front motor is mainly used to assist on hills. To boost economy, the car has a stop-start system and regenerative braking.