All-new Subaru Forester coming to PH in Q3 with e-Boxer

UPDATE 1/18/2024: Motor Image Pilipinas has reached out to us and made clarifications about the all-new Subaru Forester coming to the Philippines. While the next-generation Forester will indeed come from Thailand, it will NOT be offered with an e-Boxer engine. In addition, it will be coming to the Philippines in Q3 2025, not Q3 2024.

After making its global debut at the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show, the next-generation Subaru Forester is set to arrive in the Philippines this year. That’s right, the sixth-generation crossover is all set to make its way here, and it could arrive as early as Q3 of 2024.

This was confirmed by Glenn Tan, Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of Tan Chong Limited, the parent company of Motor Image that handles Subaru in Southeast Asia. More importantly, Tan mentioned that the all-new Forester in the Philippines will be available with an e-Boxer powertrain and will be sourced from Tan Chong’s new Thailand plant.

You read right, the next-generation Forester for the Philippine market will no longer come from Gunma in Japan. One of the likely main factors Tan Chong decided to make the switch to Thailand is to lower the price tag of the Forester. Since it will be manufactured in The Land of Smiles, Subaru will be able to take advantage of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA).

Another reason why they decided to build and source the all-new Forester in Thailand is to make parts available of the all-new Forester closer to Southeast Asia markets, as well as conduct closer quality checks. Since the Tan Chong factory caters to both RHD and LHD markets, having the new Forester built there means parts for it will also be made in Thailand which will serve ASEAN markets. Last but not least, key components can be shipped faster rather than having to get them from Japan.

No exact specifications have been shared yet about the all-new Forester bound for the Philippines. What we do know is that the sixth-generation crossover could come with a hybrid powertrain sourced from Toyota. Based on our previous report, Subaru will still use the Boxer engine but the battery and electric components of the hybrid system will supposedly come from Toyota. That means we could expect a different e-Boxer system than what Subaru is currently selling in other markets.

With the all-new Forester set to debut soon, those looking to get one may want to wait for its forthcoming arrival.