The most recent version of the Subaru Viziv offers some hints of the Tribeca replacement.
The long-anticipated replacement for the largely unloved Subaru Tribeca will begin rolling off the assembly line in 2018, the Japanese maker is confirming.
And given that the U.S. is likely to be the largest market for the new crossover-utility vehicle, it will be assembled at the Subaru of Indiana Automotive plant that was originally set up as part of a joint venture with Isuzu. The new model will become the fourth product line Subaru produces in the U.S.
“We are delighted to be bringing even more Subaru manufacturing to the U.S. The new model will also result in increased investment at SIA and at several of our suppliers across the country,” said Tom Easterday executive vice president, secretary for the facility, also known as SIA.
Originally known as the Subaru B9 Tribeca, the old crossover was launched in 2005, inspired by the B9X concept vehicle. It also was produced at the SIA plant in Lafayette, Indiana and, at one point, Subaru was set to build a variant intended to be sold by Saab as the 9-6. But that project was scrubbed when Saab was sold off by former owner General Motors during its bankruptcy.
Even a facelift couldn't bring the old Subaru Tribeca in from the cold.
The Tribeca was Subaru’s biggest three-row model and the most expensive offering in its line-up. But it received a mixed response from critics and the public alike. Reviewers faulted the quirky front end design and felt its interior wasn’t quite up to the quality expected of something in its price class.
Sales never lived up to expectations and, despite a facelift and efforts to expand its appeal, Subaru finally pulled the plug on the Tribeca in 2014. In all, Subaru had sold only 58,000 of the crossovers, a rare flop for a brand that managed to gain sales and market share through a devastating recession.
Subaru officials have made it clear for several years that they intended to find a replacement for the Tribeca that would have broader appeal – no surprise considering the large demand for three-row CUVs in the U.S. and some other markets. But they’ve been vague with details.
The SIA assembly plant in Lafayette, IN.
(Subaru planning to make news at upcoming LA Auto show. Click Here for more.)
Earlier this year, Masayuki Uchida, the Senior Product General Manager of the Legacy program, indicated the next Tribeca would likely share a platform with both the Legacy and Outback but that it “has to be bigger” than either of those models.
The maker has shown, over the past several years, offered what insiders suggest were subtle hints of what’s to come in the form of a series of concept vehicles. The most recent, dubbed the Subaru Viziv Future Concept, was revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show late last month. But sources told TheDetroitBureau.com that the styling was not a clear indication of what the next Subaru Tribeca will look like.
Nonetheless, he added with each subsequent version of the Viziv concepts, “They get more realistic each time.”
(Click Here for more on Subaru’s Tokyo Motor Show debuts.)
A look at the rear of the Viziv Future Concept on Subaru's Tokyo Motor Show stand.
It’s all but certain we won’t see the return of the Tribeca nameplate. As to what the new model might be called, a statement from Subaru hinted, “The new vehicle has not yet been named, but will likely carry a name synonymous with outdoor adventure, consistent with the company’s other successful crossovers; Outback, Forester and Crosstrek.”
Another question is what will power the biggest vehicle in the Subaru line-up. It would likely offer at least the 3.6-liter boxer-style six found in the Outback and making 256-horsepower. It might also offer a mileage-oriented model using Outback’s 2.5-liter four.
But there have been ongoing rumors the Tribeca replacement might also serve to debut the plug-in hybrid system Subaru is known to be working on, something that it has hinted at with the Viziv concept series, as well.
(Subaru one of many automakers adding forward collision warning. Click Here for the story.)