2008 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Special Edition - No Reserve, Manual Trans, Super Clean! on 2040-cars

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Subaru will cap sales, introduce US-only SUV and PHEV

With Subaru's meteoric growth over the past few years, it seems like the company would double down on the success and expand. However, the Japanese brand has announced that it will take the opposite approach. Rather than continually increasing global deliveries, the automaker will instead cap annual volume to between 1.03 million and 1.1 million units, according to Automotive News. While the strategy will keep Subaru's niche status, the brand's lineup certainly won't stagnate. After abundant rumors, a US-only, seven-seat crossover will eventually be assembled in Indiana, and Impreza production will reportedly move there in 2016. In addition, the company will launch a plug-in hybrid around 2018, but it'll only be sold where necessary to meet zero-emissions requirements. While the Japanese brand is widely known for crossovers and wagons, Subaru isn't forgetting its performance fans, either. Fuji Heavy Industries President Yasuyuki Yoshinaga confirmed yet again that a second-gen BRZ is under development. "We have already agreed with Toyota we will do a full model change. We have not decided when it will be introduced," he said to Automotive News. Subaru has been considering whether to grow for years, but the planning eventually favored maximizing the current factories. For example, Subaru decided not to build a plant in China but has chosen to boost capacity at the line in Lafayette, IN. Yoshinaga sees the strategy as a way to maintain the brand's soul. "Many companies try to be bigger or sell more vehicles. If Subaru does the same thing, we will lose our characteristics," he said to Automotive News. Related Video:

Subaru Legacy Concept has us getting our hopes up

It happens all the time. We get excited about a really attractive Subaru concept, and then the production car comes out and, well, "disappointed" isn't a strong enough word. (Compare that hot Impreza concept to the final production car.) So while we're hopeful that this new Legacy concept previews something sleek for Subaru, allow us to be fully on record as not getting our hopes up.
Anyway, let's talk about how good this car looks. From the front, comparisons to the Buick Regal GS are warranted, but from all other angles, it has a very four-door coupe-like shape. The concept rides on 21-inch wheels with bulging wheel arches that Subaru says hints at the car's all-wheel-drive system (standard Subaru fare, BRZ aside).
As for what exactly this concept previews, the safe guess is, of course, the next-generation Legacy midsize sedan. And while we'll keep our fingers crossed for a sweet-looking production sedan to come out of Fuji Heavy in the near future, it's safe to say we're still skeptical.

Junkyard Gem: 1996 Subaru SVX LSi

Even as Subaru nailed down its position as the world's top maker of sensible all-wheel-drive cars, the company was willing to take a chance with a big, expensive sporty car with science-fiction looks. That car was the SVX, built for the 1992 through 1996 model years. Here's a final-model-year SVX, spotted in a Denver-area self-service wrecking yard. Because I live in Colorado, where just about everyone— myself included— owns at least one Subaru, discarded SVXs aren't so rare in my local wrecking yards. Before today's car, I have photographed this '92, this '93, this '95, and this '96. Unlike their XT and XT6 predecessors, the SVX had no manual transmission option; its big 3.3-liter boxer six engine made too much power for the three-pedal hardware Subaru had on hand. Those four-speed automatics were quite failure-prone, but this car's career was cut short by an ordinary wreck and not a bad slushbox. Subaru didn't make another engine this big until more than a decade later, with the 3.6 in the Tribeca. In 1996, this naturally-aspirated H6 was rated at 230 horsepower. Front-wheel-drive SVXs were available for a few years in the United States, but all of the '96s had all-wheel-drive. With all the horror stories about the transmission failures in these cars, 151,311 miles counts as an impressive mileage figure on an SVX. This car's owner or owners took good care of it. Well-cared-for older cars in wrecking yards often have the original owner's manual inside. Sometimes they even have the original window sticker stashed in the glovebox. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The Alcyone SVX (as it was known in its Japanese homeland) featured this dreamlike TV commercial featuring a cover of Hedy West's 500 Miles. Featured Gallery Junked 1996 Subaru SVX View 19 Photos Auto News Subaru Coupe Luxury Performance Classics subaru svx