SubaruFactsIndependent engineering archive

Later kei cars · Japan

Before Solterra, there was a very small electric Subaru.

A 2009 launch record puts battery-electric Subaru history on a different scale.

Market
Scope is stated with the relevant specifications and sources.
01

Start with the everyday car

The original Stella launched in Japan in June 2006. Its useful details included individually sliding rear seats and a front passenger seatback that folded into a table. Those choices belonged to an everyday kei passenger car.

02

A different powertrain

The June 2009 Plug-in Stella announcement described a front-wheel-drive EV with a 47 kW motor, 170 N·m and a 9 kWh lithium-ion battery. This was not a boxer-powered AWD specification.

Three explicitly scoped Subaru examples. Subaru 1000, introduced May 14, 1966: combustion boxer engine and front-wheel drive. Plug-in Stella, Japan June 2009 announcement: electric motor and front-wheel drive. BRZ Premium six-speed manual, United States 2025 model year: 2.4-liter boxer four and rear-wheel drive. These examples do not establish all Subaru fitment or mechanical interchangeability.
Engine type and driven wheels are separate choices. Engine layout and driven wheels are separate facts. Subaru’s first production boxer application, the Subaru 1000 introduced on May 14, 1966, was front-wheel drive. The Japan-market Plug-in Stella announced in June 2009 used an electric motor and front-wheel drive; the 2025 U.S. BRZ Premium manual uses a 2.4-liter boxer four and rear-wheel drive. Original comparison by SubaruFacts. Sources: 50th Anniversary of Subaru Horizontally-Opposed Boxer Engine · Plug-in STELLA EV Japanese launch plan · 2025 US BRZ brochure
03

Keep the range label

Subaru reported 90 km using its research under Japan’s 10–15 test cycle. That number cannot stand in for an EPA or WLTP result, or a promise about every journey.

A 90 kilometer reported range is paired with the exact Japan 10–15 test-cycle label and the caveat that it is a manufacturer research result, not EPA or WLTP range.
Plug-in Stella range and test-cycle label. Subaru reported 90 km from research under Japan’s 10–15 cycle for the June 2009 Plug-in Stella announcement. This was not an EPA or WLTP result, and the figure is not a guaranteed distance for every journey. Original data graphic by SubaruFacts. Sources: Plug-in STELLA EV Japanese launch plan
04

A plan, not a census

Deliveries were scheduled from late July, with around 170 planned through March 2010. The earlier petrol Stella launch release also called its 5,000-per-month figure a sales target. Neither announcement is a completed-production census, and the two plans should not be compared as actual output. A verified photograph of the Plug-in Stella itself is still needed.

Read the evidence

Sources behind this story

  1. Stella Japanese launch

    Japanese launch 14 June 2006; naturally aspirated/supercharged inline four, i-CVT, independent suspension. Rear seats slide 200 mm, front passenger seatback folds as table. 5,000/month is a sales target, not actual production.

    Fuji Heavy Industries · Manufacturer period announcement · accessed 2026-10-07
  2. Plug-in STELLA EV Japanese launch plan

    Direct Japanese sales; delivery scheduled late July, around 170 planned by fiscal March 2010. 47 kW, 170 N·m, 9 kWh, front-wheel drive, curb weight 1,010 kg. Subaru-researched 90 km under Japanese 10–15 cycle. Document metadata/header date inconsistent; visible dated release governs. Plan is not verified completed production.

    Fuji Heavy Industries · Manufacturer period announcement · accessed 2026-10-07