Subaru’s seven-seat B9 Tribeca crossover, first shown in January at the Detroit motor show, is “under evaluation” for European markets and sales of Japanese produced versions are likely to start in the UK in 2007 at an estimated £30,000.
The vehicle is initially being built at Subaru’s Indiana factory and sales in the US, Canada, Brazil and Chile begin this summer.
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Subaru’s UK importer, International Motors, said the little R1 city car, currently displayed with the Tribeca at the Geneva motor show, is just there “to gauge public reaction and, if market forces or customer demands make it viable, could go on sale”.
The R1, recently launched in Japan, is a K-class minicar powered by a 660cc petrol engine. Its chance of UK sales are unlikely, officials said.
But Subaru UK sees the Tribeca as a natural addition to its current four-wheel drive range, extending the line of crossover Outback and Forester models imported from Japan. It would compete with the likes of the BMW X5 or Porsche Cayenne.
The Tribeca shares the Legacy’s platform and three-litre flat-six ‘boxer’ petrol engine and has extra ground clearance for use as a ‘soft-offroader’.
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