Subaru plans to stop selling gasoline-powered cars in Europe by 2028 and switch to an all-electric lineup. If the plan goes ahead, the Japanese company will become the first automaker from Japan to adopt such a strategy for the European market, Nikkei reports.
Starting in 2027, Subaru will gradually scale back sales of internal combustion engine vehicles as existing stocks are sold off. This will include the Forester and Crosstrek, which feature the company’s signature boxer engines. Subaru believes it would be too costly to adapt the small volumes of these models to increasingly stringent European requirements. From November 2027, the Euro 7 standard will apply to all new cars, including existing models, and fleet CO₂ emissions limits will become even stricter by 2030.
In the financial year ended March 2026, Subaru sold just 23,000 vehicles in Europe — less than 3% of the company’s global sales of 890,000 cars. At that volume, further investment in gasoline models is hard to justify. Subaru does not offer full hybrids in the European market.
The company’s shift comes as demand for electric vehicles in Europe recovers, supported by rising oil prices. In September, EV sales in the region rose 60% year on year, accounting for 31% of all registrations. Gasoline cars made up 18% and hybrids 34%.
Nissan and Honda had previously also announced plans to go all-electric in Europe and China, but later abandoned those plans.