One Owner Dealer Trade Clean Car Fax Awd Non Smoking Wagon on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Subaru STI display celebrates the division's high-performance history in New York

Subaru Tecnica International is really getting to celebrate itself at the 2015 New York Auto Show. Not only is the Japanese brand's performance division showing off a turbocharged take on the BRZ in the Big Apple, it also set up a small exhibit commemorating four past achievements. The oldest car of the group is a 1996 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Type RA wearing full rally garb. Its 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer four-cylinder kicks out 270 horsepower, but this specific one isn't a competitor. Instead, Subaru used the vehicle to promote the launch of the 1998 Impreza 2.5RS. STI also has one of the most coveted Subarus ever on display, a 1999 Impreza 22B STI. These limited two-door models were made to celebrate the company's World Rally Championship victories. Each one was plucked off the assembly line and fitted with a curvaceous, wider body and adjustable rear wing. Power was provided by a 2.2-liter turbocharged boxer four-cylinder with 280 horsepower. The final two members of this mini museum are a bit more modern. The 2004 WRX STI should be familiar to performance fans in the US with its 300-horsepower boosted 2.5-liter four-cylinder and six-speed manual. There's also the 2015 WRX STI that blitzed the Isle of Man last year to set a new lap record of 19 minutes and 26 seconds around the island course. With STI planning a US expansion over the coming years, this is a fantastic reminder of the division's past. Hopefully, it can keep living up to these high standards. Related Video:

Subaru cuts annual profit outlook on strength of yen, typhoon impact

TOKYO — Subaru lowered its annual profit forecast on expectations of a stronger yen and the impact on production from a typhoon last month, driving its shares down as much as 4.5%. Japan's smallest major automaker, one fifth of which is owned by top-ranked Toyota, cut its forecast for operating profit to 220 billion yen ($2 billion) for the year ending March 2020, from a previous forecast of 260 billion yen. Subaru revised its forecast for the yen to average 107 versus the dollar over the period, from 110 previously. A stronger currency eats into profits because cars exported from Japan become more expensive and the value of earnings made overseas decreases. The United States is Subaru's biggest market, accounting for about 60% of overall sales. Typhoon Hagibis forced Subaru to halt production at its factories in Gumna, north of Tokyo, for more than a week in October due to supply chain disruptions. The stoppage, which lasted until Oct. 25, resulted in lost production of 11,000 vehicles, Chief Executive Officer Tomomi Nakamura told a briefing in Tokyo on Wednesday. Hagibis was the worst typhoon to hit Japan in decades, leaving at least 80 people dead, according to national broadcaster NHK. "We have restarted production, but we couldn't return to full capacity immediately," Nakamura said. "Some of our suppliers' factories were completely submerged." Subaru also said vehicle sales rose nearly 20% in the first half of the fiscal year compared with a year earlier, driven almost entirely by an improvement in the United States amid strong demand for the Forester SUV crossover. Subaru shares were down 1% at 3,102 yen by 0440 GMT, after touching a low of 2,995.5 yen earlier.

We're going to drive Subarus through Patagonia

Later this month, Chris McGraw and I are going on an adventure. We're heading to South America with Subaru to drive cars through the wilderness, including the gorgeous landscape of Patagonia. It'll sort of be like that Top Gear episode, just without, you know, all the bad stuff (we hope). Since this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we're doing a huge blowout of coverage, and we want to bring you along for the ride. From February 16-21, we'll be posting video updates and a ton of social media coverage, so be sure to watch the Autoblog site as well as our YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter feeds for all of the latest sights and sounds from our amazing trip. Of course, we'll have a big feature story wrapping the whole experience up, after we get back and shake off some of the jet lag. We're stoked, and we hope you're just as excited to virtually come along for the ride. Stay tuned.