2012 Subaru Outback Premium 2.5i Wagon on 2040-cars

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Subaru supplies running low as automaker struggles to keep up with US demand

Consumers in the US are gobbling up Subaru models, a trend that may result in dealer shortages if the Japanese automaker isn't able to meet the surging demand. A quick look at the numbers reveals a 25.2 percent year-over-year jump in April US sales, and a 17-percent gain for the first quarter of 2013. The sales are so strong that the company's CEO, Yasuyuki Yoshinaga, told the Wall Street Journal that Subaru will exceed its 2016 goals (380,000 US units sold) by the end of the company's current business year. The US market has grown to be one of Subaru's best, with the company now logging about half its global sales on our shores.
While strong sales are good problem to have, the automaker has relatively limited production capacity, which may leave dealers with sparse inventory. Certain models, such as the popular Forester crossover (shown above), could hit 10,000 units this month with the plant at full capacity (far above its target of 8,000 units). On average, the US car industry has a 60-day supply of vehicles on hand, but inventory for the new Forester is at just 16 days. "If this situation persists, we'll face a supply shortage," Mr. Yoshinaga told the WSJ.
Despite being one of the smallest Japanese automakers by volume, this is all positive news for Subaru and parent Fuji Heavy Industries, which projects a second straight year of record operating profit thanks to strong US sales and a weaker yen.

Subaru sets Guinness world record with Subiefest car parade

Over 1,700 motorists were stuck in traffic in Southern California on October 4, 2020, but it wasn't due to one of the region's horrendous traffic jams. They got together to form the largest parade of Subaru cars ever recorded. Certified by Guinness as a new world record, the two-mile-long parade included 1,751 cars made by Subaru. Photos from the event show a diverse selection of models ranging from a late-model WRX STI to a 1980s GL. It doesn't look like the parade included a 360, the first car Subaru sold in America, but we spot a bright yellow Baja. Surprisingly, it wasn't the first time a Subaru-only parade earned a spot in the Guinness book: 549 vehicles got together on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia, in 2015 to set the previous record. Now, 1,751 is an impressive number, it beats Mini's 1,450-car record, but a handful of carmakers have managed to organize even bigger parades: 2,325 Porsche owners participated in a parade in Germany in 2008, and the Volkswagen Aficionado Club of Brazil put 2,728 examples of the original air-cooled Beetle on the same stretch of road in 1995. Subaru's record wasn't set just for bragging rights and marketing fodder. The parade was part of an annual gathering named Subiefest that brings together enthusiasts from all over North America. Instead of selling tickets to the 2020 edition, it asked participants to make a donation to Feeding America, a charity created to end hunger. Subaru pointed out attendees paid for 241,800 meals, and its American division will donate the equivalent of 258,200 meals to bring the total number to 500,000. They'll be split among two food banks in California. Subiefest is also where Subaru previewed the next-generation BRZ for the first time. It's expected to make its debut before the end of 2020, and it will arrive in showrooms in 2021 as a 2022 model.

Mazda CX-5 named Japan's Car of The Year, Subaru BR-Z wins "Special Award"

The Mazda CX-5 stamped its Kodo design and SkyActiv technology authority all over the Japan Car of the Year awards, taking the top prize ahead of the Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT 86. It is Mazda's second victory in the last ten years, the 2005 MX-5 claiming the same trophy, and the fourth time the Hiroshima company has won.
The award is decided by 60 local "automotive experts and journalists," and open to any passenger car released in Japan from November 1, 2011 to October 31, 2012 that has sold more than 500 units. Each judge gets 25 votes, his or her top vote getting 10 points, the rest of the points being spread among the judge's choice for the next best four cars.
The second-place getters were the Toyobaru twins with 318 votes, the surprise being they didn't beat or get any closer to the crossover. The Subaru BRZ did claw some mojo back, earning the Special Award given to cars that have made "an exceptional impact." The BMW 3 Series was third overall and won the Import Car of the Year award with plenty of room between it and the second place Range Rover Evoque.