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Seeing the sights with Subaru EyeSight's Touring Assist | Autoblog in Japan

Autoblog recently went to Japan to drive cars, ride trains, and talk to carmakers about automotive history and the future of mobility. This video is part of a larger series of special reports from Japan. TOKYO — The interesting thing about Subaru's EyeSight technology is that — like its name suggests — it relies mostly on the stereoscopic color cameras located behind the rear-view mirror that scan the road ahead of the car. We've had EyeSight available here in the U.S. for years now, controlling features like pre-collision braking and throttle control, and adaptive cruise control. The cameras can detect vehicles, pedestrians and lane markings, and judge their distance. It uses color images to recognize brake lights, which add another piece of important input when making critical life-or-death decisions. New for Japan, though, is an EyeSight upgrade called Touring Assist. Touring Assist builds upon the capabilities of EyeSight with more robust lane tracing, adaptive cruise control and steering assist. Before expending to other markets or other models, Touring Assist is only available on the Subaru Levorg and WRX in Japan. The capabilities of lane tracing have been expanded for use at any speed, rather than just over 37 miles per hour. Additionally, Touring Assist adds automated steering to help keep you in your lane. This uses the cameras not just to read and adhere to the lane markings but, at speeds of up to 37 mph, to also follow the car in front of you. Touring Assist doesn't allow for fully autonomous driving, but its driver assistance features automate certain functions in specific conditions, theoretically making driving safer and easier. It's a step toward fully autonomous driving, a technological foundation upon which self-driving systems can expand. We arrived in Japan in spring, expecting to see streets lined with cherry blossoms. Instead, we were met with a frigid downpour that later turned to snow on our first full day in Tokyo. While not ideal conditions for our first time driving in Tokyo traffic — or driving on the left side of the road in a right-hand-drive car — it allowed us to test out Touring Assist in less-than-perfect conditions. Check out the video above to see how that went. In all, we were pretty impressed with Touring Assist. What would have been a fraught drive in a foreign country on the wrong side of the road in crappy weather and heavy congestion was actually pretty relaxed and enjoyable.

Subaru planning modular platform, seven-seat SUV, plug-in hybrid

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles isn't the only big name in the auto industry releasing details on its future plans. Subaru, and its parent company Fuji Heavy Industries, is aiming to bump its North American sales up from 478,000 to 600,000 by 2020. Now, that seems pretty reasonable, especially in the face of FCA's hugely ambitious goals for Alfa Romeo and Maserati. It's how Subaru will go about increasing the sales, though, that has us intrigued.
A focus on more fuel-efficient, direct-injection engines will complement a new platform, while the company is contemplating expanding capacity at its Indiana factory, which will now have more room since Toyota Camry production will be ending there.
As for that new platform, it's called the Subaru Global Platform. Original, we know. It's a modular deal and will eventually underpin a vast range of future Subies following its debut in 2016. The new platform may also end up underpinning a seven-seat SUV, which would serve as the successor to the Tribeca and debut between 2016 and 2020, according to Automotive News.

Subaru WRX STI S209 is the most expensive production Subaru ever

We asked for it, and now we have it: The ultimate WRX STI. It’s called the STI S209, and we drove the extra-special Subaru just a few short weeks ago. Now we have a price, and itÂ’s officially the most expensive new Subaru ever. All 209 examples of the S209 will sell for $64,880. WeÂ’ll give you a second to process that, but a second most likely isnÂ’t long enough. Every one of the 209 cars will be headed to the U.S. starting in November this year — STIÂ’s shop is only able to produce 2-3 cars per day, so itÂ’ll be a slow trickle of cars being shipped over here. Previous to the S209, the Type RA was the top dog in the American WRX lineup. It cost $49,855, and offered a nice bump in performance over a regular STI. This S209 finally gives us the significant increase in power weÂ’ve been asking for all these years, but it also represents a massive effort at making the best-handling STI ever. Aftermarket modifications could get you partway there, but there will be no true equivalent to the S209 coming from somebodyÂ’s garage. We fully expect itÂ’ll be Subaru WRX STI enthusiasts who spring for the few available cars, as the $64,880 price will likely be a major roadblock for all but the true believers. At that price thereÂ’s a huge variety of other cars to choose from, many of them more desirable than an ultra-rare Subaru to some folks. Dealer markups could take this car to even greater heights, especially if a dealer finds some Subaru fanatics with money to burn. If the 341-horsepower S209 sounds like something you need to park in your garage, we suggest you get over to the nearest bank and Subaru dealer as soon as possible.