Subaru has an intense faithfulbut it doesn’t move anywhere near the volume of new vehicles what its Japanese rivals are doing. The transition to electric vehicles brings a whole new set of challenges, which the automaker will have to tackle without the benefit of unlimited funds. To “survive the age of electrification,” as its new CEO put it, Subaru is changing its leadership bench and focusing its efforts on using its small size as a competitive advantage.
The automaker announced Atsushi Osaki as CEO and said Subaru America CEO Tom Doll will step down. Jeff Walters, the company’s current senior vice president of sales, will take over as president and chief operating officer. The automaker’s decisions signal its renewed interest in the development of electric vehicles and in the United States, its most successful market.
Interestingly, the steering reshuffle is similar to that of Subaru’s partner Toyota announced earlier this year. Outgoing Subaru CEO Tomomi Nakamura took a similar view on electric vehicles as outgoing Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda. Osaki struck a different tone in his early remarks, saying Subaru is looking to the future to figure out the best ways to respond and adapt to the changes electrification brings to the market.
Speaking at a press conference last week, Osaki said: “At Subaru, we want to survive the era of electrification by being nimble. We will implement various systems while focusing on flexibility and expansion. The automaker currently has an electric vehicle on sale, which it co-developed with Toyota, but recently said it plans to offer several new models by 2025.
Subaru sees potential in Australiain Canada and other parts of Asia, but struggled to keep up with demand due to chip shortages. Osaki noted that the growth of electric vehicles is unpredictable and said flexibility and a quick response to market changes would be key to overcoming these challenges.
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