CVT for diesel and sports Subarus
Subaru is "committed" to CVT. It will launch a diesel/CVT combo in 2013 and sports models could be nextSubaru boss Nick Senior has confirmed the company will pair its continuously variable transmission (CVT) and turbodiesel powertrains.
Senior told motoring.com.au that the company was aiming to launch its first CVT-equipped diesel models Down Under in February 2013. And he hinted sports models could also get the technology.
Set to debut the turbodiesel boxer and CVT combination will be a mildly facelifted version of the current Outback. With a new generation of Forester due also in early 2013, a diesel/CVT offering is likely to follow.
Accord to Senior the lack of an auto variant is still a significant issue with building Outback diesel volume. It's a factor he's experienced firsthand.
"We take Outbacks to a lot of field shows and motor shows and the feedback is: 'Once you get a CVT we’re interested'."
Interestingly though, Senior says the rejectors aren't as numerous on Forester.
"The Forrester diesel is a little bit different. Where we’re around about 180-200 a month with the manual, we don’t get the same sort of feedback... You know being a bit smaller vehicle [and] probably a little bit more rural orientated as well and a high percentage of manual transmission guys in the bush..."
No timetable is in place for the diesel/CVT to make it into pure passenger models such as Impreza. Diesel versions (both manual and auto) of the closely related XV model are, however, on Senior's "wishlist".
"SUVs are our focus...
"I don’t see, at the moment with the advances we’ve made with the new Impreza [that] a diesel makes any sense. When you’re returning fuel consumption figures that we’ve got, and the [added] cost that you would have...
Senior stresses that Subaru is "absolutely" committed to CVT as a longterm, core technology. And, in addition to diesel models, he hints it may be applied in unlikely places...
"Next year at this time we’ll have an Outback CVT diesel on sale. Obviously if you’re able to put that sort of torque through a CVT, then it opens up the possibilities of it being in our more performance [oriented] variants.
"I think that’s the future direction for us."
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