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Comedic Hasselhoff car ad leads to a dream job in Sweden

Last month a guy in Florida posted a homemade ad for his 1996 Nissan Maxima online and Nissan bought it from him. This month a guy in Sweden posted a homemade ad for his 1985 Subaru Justy J10 Trendy online and got a job with Swedish car magazine Auto Motor und Sport. When Nils Jangan relocated to a new city and couldn't get a job, the financial drain eventually demanded he get rid of his car. Looking for a way to convince anyone to purchase a 29-year-old hatchback, he enlisted the help of Mordor, Saruman and, naturally, David Hasselhoff giving the thumbs up.
The picture was accompanied by text describing the "Japanese mountain goat" that was "hand-forged" by "the Saruman of carmakers," and its "54 frighteningly well-hung horses." One of its other advertised features was "I.D.N.R.I.S" seat belts, the "Instant Death No Retardation Impact System" meaning the occupants would never have to worry about long-term care if they were "in any collision at speeds higher than 12 km/hour." He asked 10,000 kroner (about $1,500 US) for the beauty, but he was also willing to trade for a job.
After posting the ad on Blocket, a Swedish craigslist, and having it shared throughout the community, Jangan got a ton of interest in the car and a job offer from Auto Motor und Sport, which he accepted. As for the Subie, it ended up going to a local repair shop for just a few hundred kroner, but we imagine Jangan's gets a decent work-related loaner or two to make up for it.

Subaru Impreza Sedan Concept previews future four-door in LA

Subaru previewed the next-generation Impreza hatchback at last month's Tokyo Motor Show, and now the appropriately named Impreza Sedan Concept displays how that concept looks in four-door form. Like the five-door, Subie says the styling elements on display here point towards the company's future design direction, not to mention the next-generation Impreza sedan that'll arrive late next year. Other than some darkened trim and slight tweaks to the lower air dam, the sedan and hatch concepts are essentially identical forward of the B-pillar. They even feature the same scalloped character line down the sides. The rear shape echoes the front's angular styling and also shares the five-door's C-shaped taillights. The Impreza Sedan Concept shares a similar footprint as the 2015 Impreza four-door. The wheelbase grows by an inch, to 105.1. However, overall length drops by about the same amount to 179.3 inches. Spy shots already show the 2017 Impreza sedan testing in heavy camouflage, and rumors suggest that it rides on the company's upcoming modular platform. A direct-injected boxer engine is reportedly under the hood, as well. Scroll down for more details in Subie's press blast. Subaru "Impreza Sedan Concept" Makes World Debut at 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show Tokyo, November 19, 2015 – Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the manufacturer of Subaru automobiles, today unveiled the "Impreza Sedan Concept" at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show. The Impreza Sedan Concept is a design concept car previewing the next-generation Impreza which is to be the first one of Subaru's next-generation strategic vehicles envisioned in FHI's Mid-Term Management Vision "Prominence 2020" announced in May 2014. While positioned as an entry model in the Subaru lineup, its compact body features a blend of bold expressions of Subaru's Dynamic & Solid design elements and a quality feel beyond its class - hinting at the design direction not only of the new Impreza but of Subaru's future models as a whole. Main Features of Impreza Sedan Concept The front, sides, and rear are seamlessly joined in the Dynamic & Solid surface structure, creating a three-dimensional and solid body that is a feature of Subaru styling. The dynamism is enhanced by well-placed character lines on the compact sedan style. The design expression of "Enjoyment and Peace of Mind", the value that Subaru provides to its customers, is fully pursued within the limits of the C-segment body size.

Subaru BRZ has higher manual take-rate than 86, and other Subaru manual facts

Automakers are continuing to give us a peek at the popularity, or lack thereof, of the manual transmission. Our latest information comes from Subaru, which kindly shared its manual transmission take-rate numbers for 2018. One of the most interesting tidbits was that 78% of Subaru BRZs sold had a manual. What makes that so curious is its stark contrast to its twin, the Toyota 86, where only 33% of those sold in 2018 had a manual. On top of that, the BRZ has a stronger manual take-rate than the enthusiast darling Mazda Miata; the soft top had 76% of buyers going for a stick, and the RF had 52%. If we had to speculate, it seems the Subaru BRZ is attracting the hardcore sports car fans. Although the BRZ manual sales are strong, it isn't the model that sells the most. The Subaru WRX tops it with 90% of buyers picking the manual over the CVT option. We of course suspect that plenty of regular WRX buyers are opting for the manual, though the number is likely partly boosted by the fact the STI version is only available with a manual. Things aren't quite as rosy with Subaru's more mainstream offerings, but that's to be expected. The Impreza follows the BRZ with 8% of Imprezas selling with a manual. The Crosstrek comes in second-to-last at 6%, and the Forester comes in last at 3%. And the Forester has now dropped the manual transmission. One final interesting note to Subaru's manual take rate. Subaru told us it sold over 47,000 manual-equipped cars. That's roughly 2,000 more than Honda sold in the same year. And with Subaru's total sales numbers being less than Honda, that means the percentage of total sales that were manual is larger at 7% versus 2.6% for Honda.