Is The 2025 Subaru 360 Van Real?

By News Update On Nov 27, 2024

A video published in August 2024 reveals futuristic, obviously AI-generated, vehicles mixed with old footage of Subaru’s first car, the Subaru 360, behind a commanding voiceover talking about the “future of vans.” It’s easy to let hype and hope lead to being tricked into thinking a vehicle like this, dubbed the Subaru 360 Van, could come from the automaker known for taking the unconventional route. On top of Subaru’s unique spin on building cars, the company actually produced a van based on the 360, and brought it to the U.S. in 1969 and 1970.

We don’t disagree that the 360 is among the few discontinued Subaru models that deserve a second chance. However, there’s been no official announcement from the company, and something’s just not quite right with the Subaru logo affixed to the van in the video.

The video introducing the 2025 Subaru 360 Van jumps between images of at least two new model designs and video footage of a vintage Subaru 360. The voiceover points out features such as LED headlights, large windows, and sleek lines. Inside the cabin, we see a large display screen that spans the dash and seats that swivel to face each other to facilitate conversation and other activities one might perform in a van, such as camping and whatnot.

Signs indicating the 2025 Subaru 360 Van is a hoax

There’s nothing new about futuristic artist renderings and cool concept cars. Automakers use them to gauge interest levels for new features and designs among their customers. However, one thing is certain, automakers don’t get their logo wrong when they do it.

The first thing that seems odd on the 2025 Subaru 360 Van video footage is the Subaru logo. Sure, it’s the right shape, has white stars, and a blue background, but the stars don’t line up like they should. It also has a video-game quality to it. While artist renderings these days are largely digital, the difference is visible in the absence of wishful thinking.

Once questions about the video’s authenticity set in, click over to the creator’s channel and peruse other video listings from them. The video listing contains hundreds of examples showing new vehicle models from a wide variety of automakers. While early videos used existing vehicles to announce upcoming changes, sometimes true but often fabricated, the channel soon included AI-generated content.

More about the real Subaru 360

An advertisement from 1968 entitled “Cheap and Ugly does it,” reveals three versions of the Subaru 360: the suicide-door Sport, a truck with side access to the truck bed, and a five-door van. The Subaru 360 Sport was priced at $1,297 with an advertised fuel economy of 66 mpg. The Subaru Truck carried a $1,325 price tag and the van cost $1,397. These prices included Federal taxes and delivery to the point of entry into the U.S., but didn’t include state and local taxes or destination charges.

While thrifty, the early Subaru 360 featured a 359cc (22-cubic-inch) two-stroke engine that generated 25 horsepower and 25 lb-ft of torque. MotorTrend points out that the 360’s power output is “not even enough to drive the supercharger on a Dodge Challenger Hellcat.” Of course, the Challenger passengers would need to push the Hellcat nearly 50 miles (more on city streets) to travel the same distance on a gallon of gasoline as the Subaru 360.