2006 Subaru Legacy Wagon Outback 2.5i Ltd Auto on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Subaru puts China production on hold amidst slowing growth

Subaru's 2015 sales and production forecast estimates the Japanese brand to sell about 60,000 vehicles in China this year, a 10 percent rise. However, a recent decision not to build a factory there might make future growth more difficult. Given the changing state of the market, the automaker doesn't seem concerned by the potentially lost sales. According to Bloomberg, even if the Chinese government gave permission for Subaru to build its planned joint venture factory with Chery, the Japanese brand would not take advantage of it. "Since the profits are split with your partner, you would have to double the sales to maintain the profits you earn by exporting from Japan," said Akira Mabuchi, the company's executive in charge of China, according to Bloomberg. Subaru is in the odd position of being the only major Japanese automaker without a joint venture partner to build cars in China, but the massive year-over-year growth there seems to be slowing. Auto sales in China were up 6.9 percent in 2014, according to Bloomberg, compared to 14 percent in 2013. Also, Chinese consumers have been famously averse to buying Japanese vehicles with only half of the consumers there even willing to purchase one. Instead, the company is focusing on the US market, according to Bloomberg. The decision makes sense. While Subie's sales in China shrunk 2 percent in 2014 to about 55,000 vehicles, the company grew 21 percent in the US to 514,000 units. The automaker already has plans to add capacity to its factory in Indiana. News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Jae C. Hong / AP Photo Plants/Manufacturing Subaru

Subaru shows racing versions of STI and BRZ

While we gear up for next week's Detroit Auto Show, the 2015 Tokyo Auto Salon is currently on going, and Subaru has marked the occasion by trotting out a pair of new racers. First up, we have the car shown above, with the company's entry to the 2015 Nurburgring 24 Hour Race. Subaru is entering a WRX STI in the grueling endurance race, which runs from May 14 to May 17. The left-hand-drive racer has received a fair crop of upgrades for endurance duty, although Subaru didn't really bother to elaborate on them, unfortunately. Next to the N24 car, Subaru introduced a striking version of its rear-drive BRZ, destined for the Japanese Super GT series. The team campaigning the BRZ will be led by Subaru's Hideharu Tatsumi, who will also be one of the drivers for the Nurburgring effort. Again, Subaru hasn't offered any info on technical changes for the BRZ GT300. Scroll down for the brief press release, and then check out the galleries of both cars. 2015 SUBARU Motorsport Activities Tokyo, January 9, 2015 – Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI) - the maker of Subaru automobiles and Subaru Tecnica International Inc. (STI)* unveiled the new racing car developed from the WRX STI for 24 Hours Nurburgring endurance race in 2015 and announced an outline of Subaru Motorsport activities for 2015 at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2015 with NAPAC (Japan Car Parts and Aftermarket Promotion Association). *: Subaru Tecnica International Inc. (STI; President Yoshio Hirakawa; located in Mitaka, Tokyo) Nurburgring 24-Hour Race STI will participate in the Nurburgring 24-Hour Race (from 14 to 17 May in Germany) for eight consecutive years, with a vehicle whose performance has been enhanced from its base car – the Subaru WRX STI. The race car's performance such as aerodynamics, stability, body rigidity and engine output have been enhanced compared to the previous model. In addition, visibility for racing flags has also been improved by introducing a left-hand drive car. Like last year, Hideharu Tatsumi will take the helm of team operations as team manager, in addition to the development of the car. The drivers are Sasaki (Japan), Lasee (Germany), van Dam (Netherlands) and Tim Schrick (Germany), the winner of 2014 VLN endurance racing championship who newly joins the team. SUPER GT Series Subaru, with the "SUBARU BRZ GT300" race car, will participate in the SUPER GT series this year as well, widely regarded as Japan's top motorsports category.

2019 Subaru Crosstrek Buying Guide | Specs, safety, and expert reviews

The 2019 Subaru Crosstrek is in its second generation, based on the fifth-generation Impreza platform, and was completely redesigned for the 2018 model year. The popular crossover is Subaru's third-best-selling model after the Outback and the Forester, and it received subtle updates, a more rugged appearance and some new technology for the new model year. Every Crosstrek comes standard with roof rails and alloy wheels with a machined finish and black-painted accents. Those wheels are available in either 17- or 18-inch sizes. The body sits atop a raised suspension that brings ground clearance up to an impressive 8.7 inches over the Impreza's 5.1 inches. Only the Jeep Renegade Trailhawk comes close to matching that clearance in this SUV segment. Three trim levels are offered: 2.0i, 2.0i Premium, and 2.0i Limited. All models can be equipped with an optional CVT. The base and Premium trims can be had with a 6-speed manual transmission. With this buyer's guide, Autoblog aims to help you make an educated decision about whether to buy the 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. We'll include safety and reliability ratings, engine specs, fuel economy ratings and pricing. We'll also summarize what Autoblog's professional reviewers think of the Crosstrek. Is the 2019 Subaru Crosstrek safe? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gives the 2019 Crosstrek a five-star overall rating, the highest possible. It gave it four stars for frontal crash protection, five stars for side crashes and four stars in its rollover crash tests. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety hasn't evaluated the 2019 model, but it's virtually identical to the 2018 Crosstrek that was given the best possible rating of Top Safety Pick+. It scores a "Good" (the highest possible rating) in all areas, including the notoriously difficult small offset frontal crash test. It gets a "Superior" for crash avoidance when equipped with the EyeSight driver assist technology, and its optional headlights (when so equipped) give it the highest possible overall rating. We encourage you to visit the NHTSA and IIHS websites to review ratings on the specific vehicle you're researching. Is the 2019 Subaru Crosstrek reliable? Subarus are generally known for their reliability and longevity, and indeed, the company cites IHS Markit data that shows 97 percent of all Subarus sold in the past 10 years are still on the road. For third-party validation, we turn to J.D.