2012 Subaru Wrx Sti With Many Extras. on 2040-cars

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Subaru puts China production on hold amidst slowing growth

Subaru's 2015 sales and production forecast estimates the Japanese brand to sell about 60,000 vehicles in China this year, a 10 percent rise. However, a recent decision not to build a factory there might make future growth more difficult. Given the changing state of the market, the automaker doesn't seem concerned by the potentially lost sales. According to Bloomberg, even if the Chinese government gave permission for Subaru to build its planned joint venture factory with Chery, the Japanese brand would not take advantage of it. "Since the profits are split with your partner, you would have to double the sales to maintain the profits you earn by exporting from Japan," said Akira Mabuchi, the company's executive in charge of China, according to Bloomberg. Subaru is in the odd position of being the only major Japanese automaker without a joint venture partner to build cars in China, but the massive year-over-year growth there seems to be slowing. Auto sales in China were up 6.9 percent in 2014, according to Bloomberg, compared to 14 percent in 2013. Also, Chinese consumers have been famously averse to buying Japanese vehicles with only half of the consumers there even willing to purchase one. Instead, the company is focusing on the US market, according to Bloomberg. The decision makes sense. While Subie's sales in China shrunk 2 percent in 2014 to about 55,000 vehicles, the company grew 21 percent in the US to 514,000 units. The automaker already has plans to add capacity to its factory in Indiana. News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Jae C. Hong / AP Photo Plants/Manufacturing Subaru

The Subaru BRZ tS is back for 2020 — most of it, anyway

We had a feeling the Subaru BRZ tS was coming back not too long ago, and now it’s officially available again for the 2020 model year. This time Subaru is limiting production to 300 units, instead of the 500 we saw built for the 2018 model year. The price is also $1,960 cheaper than the 2018 car, listed for $32,395. That makes it only $650 more than a BRZ in Limited trim. So really, itÂ’s looking a fair bit more attractive than it ever has.  Subaru did take one thing away, though. The 2020 tS eliminated the massive dry carbon adjustable rear wing, replacing it with a shorty spoiler of sorts. WeÂ’re guessing the carbon fiber wing was a rather expensive piece. Everything else carries over, so that means you get the STI-tuned Sachs dampers and springs, STI engine V-brace, draw stiffeners in the chassis and subframe, plus larger Brembo brakes (four-piston in front, two-piston in rear). Michelin Pilot Sport tires wrap 18-inch bronze wheels, and itÂ’s only available in a new Ceramic White paint — the previous tS offered three colors. We also received word of small changes coming to the 2020 WRX and STI. The performance package for the WRX has been massaged a bit, and it adds a big Brembo brake package (as opposed to just high-performance pads) to the list of equipment included. The Recaro buckets, power-driver seat and moonroof delete are still included, but the package costs $2,850 now, versus the $2,050 price for 2019. If an STI is more your flavor, know that it gains keyless entry and push-button start for 2020. Subaru also redesigned the engine bay cooling ducts for better cooling, and added a new dark gray wheel option. The cheapest WRX comes to $28,395 now and the cheapest STI will run you $37,895. Those prices constitute modest bumps of $300 and $400 respectively when compared to the 2019 model year cars.

Subaru Forester, Legacy and Outback earn IIHS Top Safety Pick+ ratings

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced its more rigorous standards for the Top Safety Pick+ crash test rating back in September, and has recently called out some new models that have attained this highest rating. Last year, the TSP+ category was created for vehicles passing the then-new small overlap crash test; this year the top award has been amended to include crash prevention technology.
Thanks to its EyeSight technology, the Subaru Legacy, Outback and Forester are among just 22 vehicles to have been named a 2014 TSP+ by the IIHS. Without this technology, all three vehicles - and the Impreza and XV Crosstrek - were still named a Top Safety Pick (without the +).
To test the crash prevention technology, the IIHS uses two tests (one at 12 miles per hour and one at 25 mph) to see how well the systems do to lessen the severity of an impact. or prevent an impact altogether. Vehicles are then given a rating from Superior (best), Advanced or Basic, and cars that do not offer forward collision warning or auto braking are not given a rating in this category. To be named a TSP+, a car must achieve at least a Basic score for crash prevention, but all three Subaru models earned a perfect score to receive a Superior rating. Scroll down for Subaru's press release.