When Subaru first got here to the USA, it sold small funky cars that were decidedly un-American. As the corporate grew its own identity and have become more established within the U.S., it became the primary automaker to supply an all-wheel-drive passenger automobile in 1975. Subaru was also an early-adopter of turbocharged engines to bring more power to its line of quirky cars and wagons. Subaru was also one in every of the primary manufacturers to supply a crossover SUV with the Forester within the late ’90s.
Because the crossover craze has rapidly ballooned right into a crossover pandemic, Subaru didn’t must abandon its history to align with consumer demand, it just kept producing the identical type of vehicle it had produced since 1975. In contrast, the world stopped when Porsche first introduced the unique Cayenne in 2002 because an SUV was a sacrilegious departure from Porsche’s history of manufacturing racing legends and ultra-high-performance cars. When Subaru introduced the Forester as its first crack at an SUV, it flew under the radar because it still aligned with Subaru’s history.
AWD passenger cars began coming into the mainstream within the ’80s and ’90s, but again Subaru was ahead of that curve. It had a preexisting fanbase who valued this feature, allowing it to take care of a particular identity through its big range of AWD passenger automobile offerings.
Subaru was also an early innovator of AWD as a performance-enhancing feature on its sportier models. Nowadays, most automobile models no matter their size or EPA size classification offer an AWD variant from the Toyota Prius to the Mazda 3 to the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class.
The mix of Subaru’s Symmetrical AWD system that delivers an excellent power split between front and rear wheels, Subaru’s famous boxer engines, and deal with safety come together to form dynamically competent and compelling packages which have wide consumer appeal. Subaru’s deal with promoting lively lifestyles has really resonated with modern consumers who seek a do-everything vehicle that gets good fuel mileage, offers the safety and capability of AWD, provides exceptional occupant safety, in a package that doesn’t break the bank.
Within the early days, Subaru’s sales reflected its then-niche appeal, but as consumer preferences have shifted, Subaru’s distinctive recipe ended up aligning beautifully and current sales reflect that. December 2023 marked 17 consecutive months of Subaru’s sales growth, and in keeping with Good Automotive Bad Automotive, Subaru had the very best growth of all mainstream brands within the US from 200,000 in 2009 to 700,000 in 2019; breaking its annual sales record yr after yr.
I’m actually the one person in my family who doesn’t own a Subaru. I encouraged my mom to ascertain out a 2010 Subaru Outback after our second Dodge Grand Caravan finally bit the dust, and my mom immediately fell in love with the Outback’s solidity, AWD security, and tidy packaging. After that, my dad decided to purchase a 2008 Forester XT Sports to interchange his 1986 Ford Mustang SVO and he was shocked by the comparable performance between the 2 cars. My brother then bought a 2003 WRX wagon and still loves it to today. Subaru has experienced this impressive growth by staying true to its brand identity and producing inexpensive and versatile vehicles.
This Article First Appeared At jalopnik.com
