2000 Subaru Legacy L Wagon 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Subaru cuts annual profit outlook on strength of yen, typhoon impact

TOKYO — Subaru lowered its annual profit forecast on expectations of a stronger yen and the impact on production from a typhoon last month, driving its shares down as much as 4.5%. Japan's smallest major automaker, one fifth of which is owned by top-ranked Toyota, cut its forecast for operating profit to 220 billion yen ($2 billion) for the year ending March 2020, from a previous forecast of 260 billion yen. Subaru revised its forecast for the yen to average 107 versus the dollar over the period, from 110 previously. A stronger currency eats into profits because cars exported from Japan become more expensive and the value of earnings made overseas decreases. The United States is Subaru's biggest market, accounting for about 60% of overall sales. Typhoon Hagibis forced Subaru to halt production at its factories in Gumna, north of Tokyo, for more than a week in October due to supply chain disruptions. The stoppage, which lasted until Oct. 25, resulted in lost production of 11,000 vehicles, Chief Executive Officer Tomomi Nakamura told a briefing in Tokyo on Wednesday. Hagibis was the worst typhoon to hit Japan in decades, leaving at least 80 people dead, according to national broadcaster NHK. "We have restarted production, but we couldn't return to full capacity immediately," Nakamura said. "Some of our suppliers' factories were completely submerged." Subaru also said vehicle sales rose nearly 20% in the first half of the fiscal year compared with a year earlier, driven almost entirely by an improvement in the United States amid strong demand for the Forester SUV crossover. Subaru shares were down 1% at 3,102 yen by 0440 GMT, after touching a low of 2,995.5 yen earlier.

Subaru's three-row Tribeca replacement spotted testing with Explorer and CX-9 in tow

Despite being a roomy, midsize crossover with seven seats living in a market that's mad for the genre, Subaru had a difficult time selling the Tribeca. Subie's largest automobile was one of the worst selling vehicles of 2012, which surely led to its death in 2014. The latest spy shots of Subaru's new three-row crossover reveals that the automaker is finally ready to replace the Tribeca. Our photographers managed to capture photos of Subaru's upcoming three-row crossover testing with the Ford Explorer and Mazda CX-9. The heavily disguised model doesn't appear drastically different than the dead Tribeca, but thick cladding is hiding the majority of the vehicle's features. From the front, the CUV looks to have similar triangular headlights as the old Tribeca, but have been given a sharper design. The front grille closely resembles the one found on the current Subaru Outback with three horizontal slats. The large air intake toward the bottom of the front fascia is also similar to the Outback's. The overall profile of the 'ute indicates that the new crossover will be similarly sized to the now-dead Tribeca, current Explorer, and present-day CX-9. At the back, the crossover features square taillights that are comparable to the ones found on the Forester's LED units. The prototype's dual exhaust outlets hint toward Subaru's 3.6-liter six-cylinder Boxer engine. The new seven-seater is expected to utilize Subaru's new modular architecture that will underpin the majority of the automaker's lineup. While the Tribeca was larger than its competitors, the previous model, as we pointed out in our review, had polarizing styling and a subpar interior that held the machine back. The Tribeca's replacement, which is expected to debut in 2018, should fix the previous car's issues with a rugged, sleeker exterior design and a more luxurious interior. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Subaru Three-Row SUV View 16 Photos Image Credit: KGP Photography Spy Photos Subaru Crossover SUV subaru tribeca three-row three-row cuv

Let's all take a moment to smile at this tiny Subaru van

The news is really depressing. You're stuck at home, hopefully working but possibly not. The kids home from school just ... won't ... calm ... down.  We need something to make us smile, so allow me to present a tiny morsel of happiness that is this 1993 Subaru Sambar Dias van currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer. One might call this a mini van if a minivan wasn't already a thing (and in no way mini any more), but the actual term is a "Kei-class van," referring the Japanese Kei class of vehicles that are teeny-tiny and capped at an engine displacement of 660cc. Some fun stuff: this Sambar Dias has beautifully maintained cloth upholstery with oh-so-Japanese lace covers for the headrests and upper seat backs. There are also rear captain's chairs, so really, the 1993 Subaru Sambar Dias is exactly like a 2020 Subaru Ascent Touring. It rides on 12-inch wheels, meaning you can use a Chicago deep-dish pizza as a spare tire in a pinch, and there are side wind deflectors because of a reason. There's a cassette deck and crank windows, but as the Sambar is roughly eight inches wide, it should be pretty easy to just reach over from one side to the other and roll'em down. Which is good news since, as a right-hand-drive car, that would otherwise be a pain in the lace-covered neck at drive thrus or parking garages. A 1993 Sambar would be from the nameplate's fifth generation, which perfectly spanned the 1990s. The "Dias" bit refers to the wagon version you see here as opposed to the commercial trucks and vans. There was also a Dias Classic, which is in a whole other league of wackadoo cuteness. Unlike any literal minivan in 1993, the Sambar Dias came with dual sliding rear doors -- Chrysler wouldn't introduce their dual-slider option until 1996. That rear-mounted 660cc engine produced 54 horsepower and is paired here with a five-speed manual transmission. There was an all-wheel-drive version, but that was apparently exclusively paired with the automatic.  There's actually one of these buddles of van joy in my neighborhood here in Portland, which like the entire Pacific Northwest, is a hotbed for oddball Japanese vans from the 1990s and earlier. The trend apparently started up in British Columbia where vans like the Mitsubishi Delica and Toyota Hiace started to be imported after the Canadian 15-year waiting period rather than the American requirement of 25.