2013 Forester 2.5x 4dr Wagon Awd on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Subaru investigates possible mileage data cheating, shares drop

TOKYO — Subaru, already smarting from a vehicle inspection scandal at home, said it was now investigating whether mileage readings may have also been falsified during final checks, driving its shares down as much as 8 percent. Mileage readings, an indicator of fuel efficiency, do not fall under safety requirements. However, any proof of what would be a second instance of misconduct in as many months would taint the image of not only Subaru but also Japan's manufacturing industry, which has been rocked by a slew of scandals recently. Just last year, Mitsubishi Motors saw around 40 percent of its market value, or $3.2 billion, wiped out in three days after it admitted it had overstated the fuel economy of its minivehicles. Subaru on Wednesday said it was checking to see if any possible fabrication could have impacted its official mileage readings and if any exported models may have been affected. "At the moment we are trying to confirm whether data was indeed fabricated, and if so, how this happened and which models are affected," Subaru spokeswoman Miyuki Yasuda said. She added that any evidence of falsified mileage figures was unlikely to result in a recall as it would not constitute a violation of safety requirements. The mileage probe follows Subaru's revelation in October that uncertified staff had been for decades carrying out final checks that the Japanese government requires on new cars sold in the Japanese domestic market. The company this week vowed to improve oversight, but it did not mention any probe into mileage readings at the time. Subaru said reports of falsified mileage readings emerged as external investigators looked into the inspection scandal. Some inspectors told investigators that mileage data had been altered on some sample vehicle models tested during final checks. Subaru said it had not confirmed that any such fabrications had taken place. "Coming on the heels of the certified inspection issue, this could be a sign of a bigger problem of how Subaru manages its manufacturing operations," said Janet Lewis, head of Asia transportation research at Macquarie Securities. Subaru shares fell as much as 8.5 percent to their lowest since July 2016, before ending down 7 percent. The stock has given up almost 10 percent over the past two months amid the inspection scandal.

Subaru WRX STI S209 brings wider body, 341 hp, gold wheels to Detroit

With the Subaru WRX STI S209, "S" finally comes to the United States. Subaru Tecnica International created the S201 in 2000, but this ninth take on the theme — inspired by the class-winning WRX STI Nurburgring Challenge racer — is the first to make it our way. Unlike the last special edition we got here, the Type RA, this one comes with a notable power boost: 341 horsepower instead of the 310 ponies in the regular WRX STI. The muscle comes courtesy of a larger compressor and turbine in the HKS turbocharger, and 1.8 pounds more boost pressure. Since the S209 is the most powerful in-house model STI has ever built, the tuning arm didn't stop there. The EJ25 boxer gets air from a new intake duct, induction box with conical air filter, and a silicone turbo inlet duct. Paddles on the steering wheel control a system that sprays water on the intercooler to reduce air temperature, a feature last seen on the WRX STI from the 2004 to 2007 model years. An old-fashioned six-speed manual controls the transmission.The engine gets its fuel from a high-flow fuel pump that feeds larger injectors. Torque hasn't changed from 290 pound-feet, but there's 10 percent more torque at 3,600 rpm. Airflow through the mufflers is 17 percent freer. The cans also are 4.1 pounds lighter and terminate in four-inch pipes. Subaru makes no mention of any other S209 weight loss, but the looks and the "focus on high-performance driving" should make themselves known. STI widened the front and rear track by 0.6 inches, and punched out fenders with aero-aiding canards make the car 1.7 inches wider. The roof and rear wing are made of carbon fiber. Instead of the 245/35 R19 wheels on the series WRX STI, the S209's forged BBS alloys wear 265/35 Dunlop GT600A summer tires, which we're told can handle max lateral grip beyond 1 G. Behind those wheels, six-piston monoblock Brembo calipers with high-friction pads clamp cross-drilled steel rotors in front, two-piston monoblock calipers in back. Stiffer coil springs wrap retuned Bilstein dampers, the suspension aided in its work by reinforced front crossmember and rear subframe, a longitudinally-flexible strut tower bar in front, flexible draw stiffeners front and back, and a 20-millimeter rear stabilizer bar. STI programmers recalibrated the SI-Drive system's three driving modes: Intelligent, Sport, and Sport Sharp.

2022 Subaru BRZ to debut Nov. 18

The 2022 Subaru BRZ will be officially revealed to the world in production form on Nov. 18, the Japanese automaker announced Wednesday. Like most of 2020's big reveals, the 2022 BRZ will be shown online. We've known for some time that the next-generation BRZ's debut was imminent. After all, disguised prototypes have been testing on public roads in southeast Michigan, and one such prototype was also shown (still camouflaged) to attendees of a charity preview event last month, from which a few images leaked.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. To put it bluntly, we really don't know much else about the forthcoming Subaru BRZ (or its Toyota twin, the 86). In fact, Toyota has been even more tight-lipped than Subaru in this regard. What little we've heard suggests that most of the platform enhancements will come from Toyota's side of the twins' joint development program, while the powertrain will again be sourced from Subaru. This runs counter some rumors we've heard that longitudinal engines from Toyota's portfolio, which includes turbocharged four-cylinders, could potentially make their way under the hood.  An evolutionary engine offering makes more sense than any sort of revolutionary leap forward, as Toyota now has a four-cylinder Supra model in its lineup. This effectively acts as a ceiling for the 86's performance. Subaru has its WRX and STI models to consider too, but that's a fundamentally different conflict of priorities, as the Supra is far more similar to the 86 than the BRZ is to either of its performance-oriented showroom siblings.  Encouragingly, the prototype we saw on public roads was being benchmarked against a turbocharged Ford Mustang. While it would be tempting to jump to the conclusion that Subaru is targeting the Mustang for power output, it's far more likely that the comparison is more holistic, rather than focused on powertrain performance alone. The lighter Subaru and Toyota coupes won't need quite as much power to keep up with the larger, heavier pony car, so expecting the twins to compete with the EcoBoost Mustang's 300-ish horsepower is grounded more in wishful thinking than reality.  Fortunately, we only have a couple of weeks left until we find out for certain. Stay tuned! Related Video: