Toyota and Subaru join forces (again), this time to build electric vehicles

Global automaker giant Toyota announced its continued investment in the alliance with another Japanese company, Subaru. The duo first joined forces in 2005 and recently announced that they will build electric vehicles together.

Earlier in 2019, the company disclosed in June that they have agreed to jointly develop a platform dedicated to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and to jointly develop a BEV model, both of which will employ Subaru's AWD technologies and Toyota's vehicle electrification technologies. 

The agreement in 2005 between the two saw Subaru build Toyota vehicles and Toyota supplying vehicles to Subaru, and of course the development of the rear-wheel-drive Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ sports cars.

A worker of Fuji Heavy Industries assembles a car on the production line of Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 at Subaru's Gunma main plant in Ota-city, Gunma prefecture on March 16, 2012. AFP / Kazuhiro Nogikazuhiro Nogi 

Here are four things the companies plan to do in the future: 

1. Bringing together both companies' strengths to jointly develop all-wheel-drive models. 

2. Joint development of the next-generation 86 and BRZ. 

3. Following the Crosstrek Hybrid, expanding use of Toyota's hybrid system in other Subaru models. 

4. Cooperation in the domain of connected vehicles and technical collaboration in the field of autonomous driving.