2014 Subaru Forester 2.0xt Touring Wagon 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Subaru secures permit to test self-driving car in California

The list of automakers that can test their self-driving cars in California is getting less and less exclusive by the minute. Its latest addition? Subaru. The Japanese company has secured an Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permit from the state's DMV on February 9th, bringing the total number to 22. Some Subaru models already have assisted driving features thanks to their camera-based Eyesight system, such as adaptive cruise control, sway warning and pre-collision braking. However, the company is developing new capabilities meant to kick in while doing speeds of up to 40 mph, including the ability to auto-start and stop in slow traffic. Subaru also wants to offer lane switching and auto-steering around bends and curves -- semi-autonomous driving capabilities for highways -- by 2020. It's unclear what features Subaru will be testing exactly, and if they're any of these. All that's certain is that it's joining both big-name and little-known companies on California roads, like NVIDIA, Ford, Good and Baidu. This article by Mariella Moon originally appeared on Engadget, your guide to this connected life. Related Video: News Source: DMV Government/Legal Subaru Technology Autonomous Vehicles California

2015 Subaru WRX and WRX STI configurator comes online

Subaru fans, get your clicking fingers ready - the configurator for both the 2015 WRX and the WRX STI are live on the company's consumer website.
With three trims of the standard WRX and two of the WRX STI available, customers can price out their ideal rally rocket. Aside from choosing a trim level, there's not a whole lot for dreamers to do here. A single interior trim (black) can be paired with a decent spectrum of colors. Each trim level only comes with one optional package, which ranges from $2,000 to $2,500 and includes some combination of navigation, a Harmon/Kardon stereo or push-button start. There are also a number of dealer-installed accessories available, as well.
Hop on over to Subaru's US consumer page, and start building your perfect road-legal rally car.

Subaru nixes plans for US-built XV Crosstrek

Subaru is on a sales tear, with numbers up 21 percent through the end of November compared to last year. It's been investing in its Indiana factory, and having ended its contract to build the Toyota Camry there, the 400,000-unit capacity was once seen as more than Subaru needs. At some point Subaru had plans to build the XV Crosstrek here in the US, but Reuters reports that the company has changed its mind and will build the little crossover Scooby in Japan, in the same Gunma Prefecture factory where the Impreza, BRZ and Levorg are built. The report cites "the relatively high sales price," the weakening yen versus the dollar and capacity constraints at the Indiana facility. For a planned production run of 65,000 Crosstrek units annually, the new math – especially the yen valuation, which has declined against the dollar to a rate not seen since 2007 – makes Japanese production a viable option. Subaru isn't the only manufacturer taking its toys back home, either: the Reuters report says Toyota is considering shifting some Camry production back to Nippon, while Nissan plans to do the same with the Rogue. Our guess is that if Subaru sales continue the trend they've been on for years, the assembly decision will give them more local flexibility here for addressing it. Featured Gallery 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid: First Drive View 53 Photos News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Copyright 2014 AOL Plants/Manufacturing Subaru Crossover subaru xv crosstrek