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Subaru plans commemorative 50th-anniversary editions of each vehicle in 2018

Subaru will release limited-edition commemorative models of each of its vehicles next year as a way to mark its 50th anniversary in the U.S. on Feb. 15, the company said. Each edition will get a new, common color based on a high-level trim and special badging, with more details to come at the Chicago Auto Show in February. The company famous for its all-wheel-drive vehicles, boxer engines and being popular among the granola set teased plans for its anniversary celebration year back in February, saying it would also make a special donation of "50 cars for 50 years" to benefit an as-yet unnamed national charity. Subaru of America was founded on Feb. 15, 1968 in a small rental unit in Balboa Park, Calif. by American businessmen Malcolm Bricklin and Harvey Lamm as a way to sell Subaru dealer franchises. Soon after, the company relocated to Bala Cynwyd, Pa., and it has remained in the Delaware River valley ever since. It was acquired by Fuji Heavy Industries in 1990. The parent company, now known as Subaru Corp., launched in 1953 and under the core Subaru-named auto business in 1958. Its first vehicle on the U.S. market arrived in 1968 as the 360, a clear competitor to the Volkswagen Beetle that was $300 cheaper and 1,000 pounds lighter. Its sales suffered after Consumer Reports rated it as "unacceptable." Its FF-1 arrived in the U.S. in 1970 and represented the first Japanese car to feature front-wheel-drive and to have a horizontally opposed boxer engine. The company's first all-wheel-drive station wagon came to the U.S. in 1975. Subaru plans to reveal its new three-row Ascent crossover next week at the L.A. Auto Show. Last month it unveiled special JDM model versions of the BRZ and WRX STI at the Tokyo Motor Show. In October the company announced it would cease production of industrial products after 60 years in order to focus on making automobiles. Subaru of America is developing a new headquarters complex in Camden, N.J., which it expects to open early next year.Related Video: Featured Gallery Subaru 50 years of cars View 22 Photos Image Credit: Subaru Subaru Hatchback SUV Wagon Sedan station wagon subaru ascent

Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato and GMC Acadia driven | Autoblog Podcast #837

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Electric, John Beltz Snyder. They're both jazzed after driving the off-road-ish and totally sublime Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato. John recently drove the new GMC Acadia, Greg spent some time in the Toyota Camry, and they also discuss Autoblog's long-term Subaru WRX. In the news, the Porsche 918 Cayman and Boxster are reportedly ending production, while it's officially the end of the road for the Nissan GT-R and Volvo S60. Fisker has officially filed for bankruptcy. Cadillac has shown off a couple cool Blackwing special editions in honor of Le Mans. Finally, we reach in the mailbag and help a listener pick a sporty convertible in this week's Spend My Money segment. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #837 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving: 2024 Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato 2024 GMC Acadia 2025 Toyota Camry Long-term 2023 Subaru WRX Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster allegedly end production in October 2025 2024 Nissan GT-R the final year for the U.S. market 2025 Volvo S60 the last model year for the sedan in the U.S. Fisker files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy 2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing 'Le Monstre' and CT4-V Blackwing Petit Pataud limited editions celebrate Le Mans Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: Podcasts Cadillac Fisker GMC Lamborghini Nissan Porsche Subaru Toyota Volvo Coupe Crossover SUV Electric Hybrid Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Performance Supercars Sedan

Vehicles awarded IIHS Top Safety Pick awards skyrockets for 2015 [w/video]

By practically every measure, passenger vehicles in the US are continuing to get safer. With the year rapidly coming to an end, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is releasing its annual list tallying of the scores for the latest vehicles to see how they compare to last year. Judging by the agency's evaluations, the numbers look quite positive. According to the institute, 71 vehicles earned either the Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ rating so far in its testing for 2015. Among the latest winners, there have been 33 TSP+ awards and 38 TSP medalists. That's a healthy increase over the 22 TSP+ and 17 TSP grades in 2014. The figures appear even more impressive when you consider that it keeps getting harder to earn the + designation. In the latest round of testing, a vehicle must offer some form of front crash prevention automatic braking to get the mark. Previously, just a warning to drivers was necessary. This list also illustrates the ways that automakers adapt to new testing procedures. In 2013 there were 117 TSP ratings and 13 TSP+ awards. Then, the IIHS mandated that to be a safety pick, a model had to score Good in the institute's four crash tests, plus a Good or Acceptable in the small overlap front test. That brought a plunge in 2014 to just 17 TSP grades. With the numbers climbing again, companies apparently have deciphered how to perform better. Some brands especially stood out on this year's list. The IIHS praised Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Acura for offering standard front crash prevention systems on some models. Subaru received at least one of the awards for all seven of its models. Toyota also had seven, and the Honda brand did too – though the institute counts the two- and four-door versions of the Civic and Accord separately. Check out the full announcement below and a video about this year's winners. The full list can be viewed, here. Safety gains ground: More vehicles earn top honors from IIHS The number of vehicles earning either of the Institute's two awards has jumped to 71 from 39 this time last year, giving consumers more choices for optimum protection in crashes. The number of winners in the top tier - TOP SAFETY PICK+ - has increased by 11 for 2015, despite a tougher standard for front crash prevention. "This is the third year in a row that we are giving automakers a tougher challenge to meet," says IIHS President Adrian Lund.