The sixth generation of the Subaru Forester has been on the market for only two years, but Japanese engineers and strategists are already drawing the future of their iconic crossover. This time, however, the approach is anything but traditional. In an attempt to turn the model's successor into a real visual magnet for a wider audience, Subaru decided to trust an unexpected tandem: artificial intelligence and the enthusiasm of its own fans.
During the autumn Subaru School Festival 2025 in Japan, the brand threw down the gauntlet to its community. The task? Participants to take on the role of designers and, with the help of AI tools, generate their vision for the “face“ of the future Forester. The idea is not just a technological game, but a large-scale experiment to capture the moods and aesthetic preferences of the people who actually buy these cars.
After a serious selection, the ten most notable proposals were put up for public voting on the brand's official online platform. The results are colorful, to say the least. While some users rely on nostalgic references to previous generations or refined modern style, others have let their imagination run wild in the territory of the grotesque. Among the finalists were concepts inspired by... avocado and cucumber, and even “wooden“ a variant that would look quite out of place in the Flintstones' garage.
Despite the presence of frankly humorous projects, the selection also shines with mature enough ideas that could serve as inspiration for the real designers in the studio. Subaru admits that none of these AI renders will directly become a production model, but the information is invaluable. Through this move, the company manages to understand which elements evoke sympathy and which - frankly ironic rejection. Obviously, the future Forester will be the product of an interesting symbiosis between algorithms and the collective taste of fans.