Announced in 2018, Subaru’s STEP 2.0 management vision is seen to increase their products’ distinctiveness as well as putting more focus on customers. STEP 2.0 has three parts. First is to focus on enhancing corporate quality (improve build quality, enhanced sales and service). Second is to build a strong brand (renewed focus on technology, make Subaru a car that people can “love”). Third, is sustainable growth based on a focused strategy (dial in on what makes a Subaru, a Subaru).

In order to achieve those goals, Subaru is changing its mindset from the top down. By embarking on a different mindset, Subaru says, will have a tremendous effect on the behavior of the company as a whole.

Among the changes Subaru has done is to develop a culture of open communication in the workplace. By closing the gap between management and rank-and-file employees, it has resulted in better employee engagement. In turn, this has helped the company achieve a “Quality First” stance. Among the plans in place include a final vehicle inspection facility scheduled for operation in FY2023 to catch potential manufacturing or production faults before it reaches customers.

Subaru will also maintain its goal of zero fatal road accidents among its users by 2030. Based on Japanese market data, the carmaker has already managed to drop the number of road accident fatalities involving their cars by 62.5 percent from 2017 to 2019.

Hand-in-hand with this are plans to achieving a carbon-free society through increased electrification. By 2030, 40 percent of global Subaru sales will either be battery electric (BEV) or hybrid electric (HEV). By the first half of the 2030s, they will apply electrification on all Subaru products sold worldwide, and by 2050, will have reduced their well-to-wheel emissions by 90 percent compared to 2010 levels. During all this time, they will continue to deliver improved all-wheel drive capability and driving dynamics.

Aside from being their first BEV, the Solterra also marks a new product development structure for Subaru. Instead of designing and engineering each model separately, they will develop core technologies simultaneously, and flexibly deploy them onto different vehicles regardless of body type or model. Not only will this result in better efficiency, but these models will also feature elevated levels of safety, longevity, and capability. All in all, this will help foster a deep relationship with their customers making them different from other brands.