In a big move away from its current Toyota-shared EV lineup, Subaru has reportedly revealed a new electric vehicle platform that could underpin its next generation of battery-powered models, including high-performance vehicles capable of accelerating from 0-100km/h in under four seconds.

As reported by publications Road & Track and Automotive News, the Japanese manufacturer has unveiled an experimental electric vehicle featuring a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system producing more than 380kW of power, which is significantly more than any of its current electric models.

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The prototype, which uses a modified previous-generation Outback body, was reportedly demonstrated at Subaru’s test facility in Japan. It isn’t intended for production, but it previews technology expected to reach future Subaru vehicles from around 2029. That’s significant because until now, Subaru’s EVs – the Solterra, Trailseeker, Uncharted and US-market Getaway SUVs – have been co-developed with and share a lot with equivalent Toyota models.

The prototype in question features a 150kW electric motor at the front and a more powerful 230kW unit at the rear, giving it a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system. The electric motors themselves are have been developed with Aisin, and are claimed to deliver efficiency improvements of around 30 per cent. The platform itself weighs around 100kg less than the current Subaru EVs and a newly-developed battery pack could bring further weight savings.

We don’t yet know the size of the battery, but it’s been developed in partnership with Panasonic Energy and it uses approximately 4000 cylindrical cells. The battery is claimed to be 25 per cent lighter than the current Subaru EV batteries, with energy density around 20 per cent higher than the industry average.

Subaru is also developing a new integrated electronic control system with technology company AMD, allowing greater coordination between vehicle functions and supporting over-the-air software updates.

Whether the new platform will eventually underpin an electric WRX or STI performance model remains unknown, although its substantial power output suggests that Subaru is interested in more than simply producing electric SUVs.