We're not sure if they have their roaming eye on a particular provider ...

Subaru, has been getting pretty cozy with its Prius-building partner of late, but when it comes to hooking up with a battery supplier for its own green automotive solution, the R1e, the car maker might be singing a different tune. Namely, 'Don't Fence Me In." During a recent vehicle launch, Fuji Heavy Industry's president, Ikuo Mori, made his opinion on the subject clear: "It's not necessary to stick to Toyota and Panasonic. We want to procure (batteries) from whoever can offer reasonable prices with good quality," he said to Dow Jones newswires. In any case, although their immediate needs should be quite modest, Toyota might not have a lot of spare capacity for Subaru anyway.

We're not sure if they have their roaming eye on a particular provider yet though there are some interesting players out there. It could just be they have their battery questions already answered but are trying not to tip their hand. As usual, we'll let you know if they're holding aces or jokers.

Gallery: New York 2008: Subaru R1e on the stand