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Should Subaru stay niche or go mainstream? [w/poll]

Out of all the automakers doing business in the US, Subaru is the one that has carved out the most interesting niche for itself in the minds and lifestyles of buyers. Outdoorsy types, dog lovers and active families alike flock to Subaru's rugged nature and all-wheel-drive utility - and they're fiercely loyal, which is probably why Subaru has become a success story.
But Subaru is still a relatively small player in the US market, and with recent profits surging, parent company Fuji Heavy Industries is facing a dilemma: continue on with the successful niche market Subaru has carved out for itself, or attempt to go mainstream and give big players like Nissan and Toyota a run for their money. According to Carscoop, Japan Times and Bloomberg News are reporting that Fuji Heavy is beginning discussions this month to determine which direction Subaru will take.

Revisit the charms of the 1978 Subaru Brat

The Subaru Brat is the automotive equivalent of a teenager with a mullet: weird, a little reckless but brimming with enough self-confidence to make it cool.
The Brat came from Subaru's desire to compete in the burgeoning light pickup market of the late-1970s. To get around the so-called Chicken Tax that added a 25 percent tariff on imported pickup trucks, Subaru threw two seats in the bed, which technically allowed it to be classified it as a passenger car. The result was a great, weird combination of a complete lack of safety, with a low price and lots of driving fun.
In the video below, Motor Trend's Johnny Lieberman takes a 1978 Brat through the desert and shows just how much fun a little pickup can be.

Junkyard Gem: 1987 Subaru GL-10 4WD station wagon

Living in Colorado and spending a great deal of time in Denver-area wrecking yards, I see Subaru wagons everywhere. Lots of Subaru wagons. Today's Junkyard Gem, however, is the first GL-10 wagon I've found in such an establishment. I can't find a definitive description of what Subaru buyers in 1987 got with their GL-10 (at the time, the Subaru Leone was sold in the United States as just "The Subaru" with a confusing babel of trim-level codes tacked on). These badges look cool, anyway. This cassette deck would have been considered serious stuff at the time, what with auto-reverse and automatic detection of the prestigious metal tapes that cost twice as much as ordinary cassettes. This car has air conditioning as well, a very rare feature on this generation of Leone. These cars were available with automatic transmissions, but nearly all of the 1980s Leones I find have three pedals. Four-wheel-drive (real four-wheel-drive, including a low-range setting with manual drive selection) was a heavily-hyped Subaru option, not standard equipment, at the time. Under the hood is the boxer-four engine layout we've been seeing in U.S.-market Subarus since all the way back in 1971. This one displaces 1.8 liters and was rated at 90 horsepower. This car's archrival, the Toyota Tercel 4WD wagon, packed a mere 62 horses; prices for ordinary Tercel 4WD and Subaru GL 4WD wagons were similar, but the GL-10 package no doubt pushed the price up well above Tercel levels. These cars weren't anywhere near as reliable as the Tercel 4WD (which, though sluggish, was nearly — but not entirely — impossible to kill) or the Honda Wagovan 4WD, but this one made it to a respectable odometer figure before being retired. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The GL-10 could be had with turbocharging and digital instrumentation, but this wagon has neither. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. All new Leone! Featured Gallery Junked 1987 Subaru GL-10 View 18 Photos Auto News Subaru Automotive History Wagon