There’s fresh hope that Subaru Australia could add the Ascent large SUV to its local line-up to take on the likes of the Toyota Kluger and Kia Sorento, despite years of rejection.
The local operation’s former chief, Colin Christie, told CarsGuide in April, 2020 that the Ascent was unlikely to make it Down Under as it isn’t available in right-hand drive from the US factory that builds it. However, current Subaru Australia managing director, Blair Read, struck a more optimistic tone in a recent interview, making it clear that the Ascent remains on the local agenda.
“Always on the wish-list,” Read said. “A work-in-progress.”
He added that the issue remained the same as when Christie was unable to secure it – the lack of right-hand-drive production.
“The plain issue with getting Ascent is it’s built in America, in left-hand drive, and their demand is out-stripping their production capacity. So, to get that here, that’s as simple as the challenge gets,” Read explained.
However, despite this being the current situation, Read made it clear that should US supply either increase or demand decrease and production capacity becomes available, getting the Ascent built in right-hand drive in the USA is definitely an option, as was the case with its predecessor, the ill-fated Tribeca.
“Tribeca was [like] that,” Read said. “Tribeca was right-hand drive and built in the States.”
Adding the Ascent would fill a crucial missing piece for Subaru and has the potential to dramatically increase the brand’s local sales. The Outback is already the fourth best-selling ‘large SUV’ in Australia, but adding a taller, more-direct rival to the likes of the Kluger and Sorento would be a boost for the brand and fit nicely with its SUV-heavy line-up.
Read clearly sees the potential.
“It’s something we keep working on,” Read said. “No news at this point, but something that would be an opportunity.”
Unlike the five-seat Outback, the Ascent is available with seven- or eight-seater layouts in the US. It sits on the same Subaru Global Platform as likes of the Outback and Forester and is powered by a 2.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine that makes 190kW/376Nm.
Keyword: Subaru Ascent 'a work-in-progress': Why Subaru hasn't given up on its Toyota Kluger, Mazda CX-9, Hyundai Santa Fe rival