Subaru is retiring its iconic ‘boxer’ engine in some markets. Here’s why

Subaru has announced it will retire its long-running horizontally-opposed flat-four engine – lovingly known as the ‘boxer’ engine design – in Europe by the end of 2027.

As the Japanese brand continues its steady march towards electrification, it says the advent of tougher Euro 7 emissions law has made its current petrol and mild-hybrid offerings untenable in Europe.

It’s unclear on whether the European developments will have any flow-on effect for Australia.

In Europe, Subaru will axe its Outback by the end of 2026, while a triumvirate of ‘e-Boxer’ models in the Impreza, Crosstrek and Forester – each fitted with mild-hybrid systems – will follow the same fate before the end of 2027.

That will leave the Solterra electric SUV, the E-Outback (known as the Trailseeker in Australia) and the Uncharted as Subaru’s core European line-up.

Further afield, the release of a new Subaru-produced EV is expected down the track – the first of its kind to break away from an existing electrification joint venture project with Toyota.

The new prototype reportedly features all-wheel drive power with 380kW combined – more than any production Subaru model in history, enabling a 0-100km/h sprint time of four seconds.

“By developing vehicles in-house and having EV technologies on our own, we can quickly deliver to our customers the peace of mind and driving pleasure that define Subaru, even in this era of change,” Subaru’s executive officer in charge of engineering, Takatomo Watamori, told Automotive News.

“What matters is whether the technology itself can adapt flexibly, and whether our engineers themselves can change and evolve.”

The EV development comes as Subaru continues to invest in its next generation of combustion engines, with reports of a 50 per cent improvement in thermal efficiency.

Whether those engines continue to follow Subaru’s long-vaunted ‘boxer’ configuration remains to be seen, although the investment suggests petrol power will remain part of Subaru’s Australian DNA for some time yet.

“We are not in a position to comment on developments in other markets,” a Subaru Australia spokesperson said in a statement. “We’ll continue to share relevant news for our market with you and our customers when appropriate.”