Subaru is a Japan-based car manufacturer whose newer contributions are both fun to drive and convenient. The automaker builds vehicles whose available turbochargers and four-wheel-drive power trains make high performance possible. Surprisingly, nearly all Subaru vehicles are handy and prudent enough to be proficient family haulers, and the product is known for recording some of the best crash-test scores in the auto industry.
In the early 1950s, a group of Japanese businesses united to form Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. Its automotive division came to be known as “Subaru,” a Japanese word meaning “unite.” Subaru’s first automobile rolled off the assembly line in 1954. The P-1, as it was called (and later changed to the 1500), was powered by a four-cylinder engine, contained a wishbone-style, front-wheel independent suspension and was the first Japanese-designed car to feature a “monocoque” body. Although support and funding problems forced Subaruto delay building the 1500, the carmaker quickly turned its situation around. Subaru spawned a partner for its first-born with the 360 in 1958. Although it was called the Ladybug due to its ladybug silhouette, the compact 360 was highly admired and was manufactured for until 1970.
Subarumade a huge splash in the racing world during the 1990s when it became the first Japanese-produced car to claim the Manufacturers’ championship at the World Rally Championship three consecutive years. The Subaru brand continued to develop throughout the 1990s, adding the high-performance SVX, the admired Legacy-based Outback wagon and the athletic Impreza. General Motors acquired a 20-percent stake in parent company Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) during the late 1990s, with the aim of escalating its existence in the overseas marketplace. Toyota, which purchased a modest percentage of FHI several years later, kept this relationship from lasting very long.
These days, the Subaru stable consists of vehicles from family-friendly crossovers to high-performance cars like the WRX STi to compact trucks. Subaru is considered a great choice for fanatics needing vehicles offering kick of excitement with a bit of convenience.
When your competition is the likes of the Ford Focus, the Mazda 3 and the Hyundai Elantra, you better have your act together and deliver an impressive package. Well, the 2013 Subaru Impreza is just such a package. The Impreza has always had the impressive all-wheel drive that has been Subaru’s trademark, and they have…
Is it a station wagon? Is it small SUV? What the heck is it? We are speaking about the Subaru Forester, and whatever you want to call it, make sure you also call it successful. The Forester debuted in the late 1990s as an answer to the other Japanese companies and their new SUVs. It…
Even though Subaru is a Japanese company and has been since 1915, the Subaru Outback has always seemed like an American car. Perhaps that is because it was designed for the North American market specifically, and has been such a staple of our automotive landscape for four generations now. When the Outback was first introduced…
Subaru Motor Company began as FHI, or Fuji Heavy Industries, and they were an aircraft research laboratory in 1915. In 1932 they were named Nakajima Aircraft Company and they became the number one aircraft manufacturer for Japan during World War II. After the war they reorganized again and became Fuji Sangyo Co and produced the…