Subaru to Axe Legacy in 2025, Focus on Electrification and SUVs

Another sedan bites the dust. This time, it’s the Subaru Legacy. The Japanese automaker has confirmed that its venerable midsize car will not return after the 2025 model year, ending a career that began in 1989.

The Legacy was the first vehicle that Subaru built in Indiana specifically for the American market. More than 1.3 million units have found takers in the U.S. over six generations.

“Though the Legacy is the longest-running Subaru model line, its discontinuation reflects market shifts from passenger cars to SUVs and crossovers and Subaru’s transition to electrified and fully electric vehicles,” the company said in a statement.

In the U.S., some 25,000 Legacys were sold last year versus 160,000 Outbacks. On our side of the border, sales amounted to 351 and 12,277 units, respectively. Subaru also sold 1,857 copies of its fully electric Solterra in Canada. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the meaning of those numbers.

Photo: Guillaume Rivard

The Legacy will carry over for 2025 with no changes. The lone available model is the 260-horsepower GT. The current generation dates back to 2020 and was refreshed for 2023. Following its departure, the Impreza hatchback and BRZ sports coupe will be the only cars left in the lineup. For how long? That’s a good question.

About a year ago, Subaru announced that four new EV models will debut before the end of 2026. All are expected to be sold in North America. One of them will be a three-row electric SUV similar to the Ascent, with production starting in Kentucky somewhere late in 2025. It will be built not by Subaru but rather by its partner Toyota, which will have its own three-row electric SUV as previously reported.

Watch: 2024 Subaru Impreza RS Review

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