2007 Subaru Legacy Turbo Gt Limited Sedan 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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How Subaru saved itself by marketing to the gay community

Almost everyone who's in the car community, and even people that aren't, have probably heard the stereotype that lesbians drive Subarus. What you may not realize is that stereotype was fostered by Subaru, and it helped make the company relevant again in the '90s. This is the story told by NPR's Planet Money podcast. Apparently, as the company was trying to figure out who was buying its cars, the marketing folks discovered that gay and lesbian people were a large segment – along with all those outdoorsy types. The discovery led to subtle advertising directed specifically at what we now refer to as the LGBT community, which in turn led to more sales to gay and lesbian consumers. There were other components to Subaru's sales strategy in the '90s, but this particular campaign was an important part and quite successful. Thanks to that success, today we still have Subaru around building reliable, all-wheel-drive transportation, as well as rally-inspired sport compacts. There are of course many more details, but we don't want to spoil them for you. For the whole story, you need to head over to the Planet Money site and listen in. Related Video: News Source: NPR / Planet MoneyImage Credit: Copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / AOL Marketing/Advertising Read This Subaru lgbt

You can almost make out the shape of the new Subaru Crosstrek

Subaru released a shadowy teaser of the redesigned XV hatchback which will debut in March at the Geneva Motor Show. The car will be called the Crosstrek in the United States. We can't see much from this dark image, but it looks like the sides have more creases and definition than the current model, which has been on sale since 2013 with only minor changes. Subaru showed the XV concept at Geneva last year with wild wheels, sharp headlights, severe side cuts, and prominent off-road-style body cladding. Naturally, we expect a more toned-down version in production trim. Subaru confirmed the new vehicle will offer its Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive system (we'd be stunned if it didn't). The Crosstrek will also employ Subaru's new Global Platform, which is more rigid and has a lower center of gravity. These modular underpinnings will be used on all of its next-generation models and debuted on the Impreza. The Crosstreck was called the Crosstrek XV in the US market for several years and also offered a hybrid version, which was dropped. Crosstrek sales in the US increased 7.6 percent last year to 95,677 units, placing it third behind the Outback and Forester in Subaru's portfolio. Related Video:

Subaru Levorg: Forbidden fruit

For Subaristas, the Levorg needs no introduction. Fans of the marque have been begging Subaru of America (SOA) to bring it over here from the moment it was first introduced. First introduced in Japan a year or so ago, and now making its way across the globe, it is one delicious wagon that SOA refuses to let Americans taste. Why? Wagons don't sell in America, so they say (some Euro-brands might disagree with that). Plus they seem to think they have the wagon market pretty well covered with the Outback, Forester, and to a lesser degree, the Crosstrek. First a bit of history Unlike here in America, at least in recent years, a Legacy wagon continued to exist in other markets. At some point Subaru decided to also delete it from their global portfolio, and to replace it with the smaller, sportier and well-equipped Levorg. The thinking was that the Levorg would be more distinct from the Outback than a Legacy wagon, and would be less likely to step on the Outback's toes in terms of searching for customers; makes sense. Another point needs to be made: Subaru is selling at record levels. They just can't make them fast enough as they are constrained by lack of production capacity. That will improve soon as the next-gen Impreza will be built in their Indiana plant this fall once the Toyota Camry production moves out. So, at the moment, they don't need the Levorg to improve sales. Down the road that may be a different situation, but for now adding another model line would be tough and of little benefit. Why America needs the Levorg When Subaru introduced the current generation WRX they deleted the hatchback — which accounted for 50 percent of WRX sales. Needless to say WRX 5-door owners were outraged — and continue to be so. The Levorg wagon could be the perfect answer for these folks, as shares many parts with the WRX. In Japan it's available with a new 1.6L direct-injection turbo as well as the same 2.0L direct-injection turbo found in the WRX. Other markets, to date, only get the 1.6L engine. All Levorgs have CVTs, with the 2.0 versions getting the high-torque CVT found in the WRX CVT. The chassis setup, while a tad softer, is very close to that of the WRX. So it is definitely a car that's cut out for canyon-carving. It's also more upscale than the WRX, with an interior more akin to luxurious trim levels of the Legacy and Outback. In its defense Subaru has claimed that the budget did not allow for developing both the Levorg and a 5-door WRX.