Subaru of Canada has shown its twisted sense of humor with this new commercial for the Subaru Forester that plays off the whole "sexy babes washing a car" motif. Instead of busty blondes, however, the Japanese automaker supplants sumo wrestlers who thrown sponges at each other, squirt each other with the hose and get caught in slow-motion replays while flipping their hair back. If you're eating lunch right now, put the fork down and make sure you've swallowed your food before watching the commercial after the jump.
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While automakers spend huge amounts of money paying marketing firms to come up with memorable advertising campaigns, sometimes something relatively simple does the job just as well. Take this Subaru Outback. Dreamed up by Stan Palmer Sales of Carlisle, a Subaru dealership in the U.K., this particular Outback appears to be see-through and was developed to promote the marque's new diesel boxer engine, the first such engine in the world. An image in a Subaru brochure was snapped with an eight megapixel camera, blown up and plastered onto the full-sized car.
Though the whole project took just one day, the effort has drummed up plenty of interest. According to Dealer Principal Ian Armstrong, "The reaction has been fantastic, with people almost tripping up as they walk past." Considering that the Outback isn't exactly a fresh model, the added interest has caught the attention of Lawrence Good, Managing Director of Subaru Limited in the U.K, who said: "This car has become quite a talking point back here in head office and is a fantastic and cost-effective advertising initiative. It should inspire other dealers to either copy the idea or come up with their own innovative campaigns." Sounds like they love it.
We received word from a little birdie last week that Subaru was gearing up to release its brand-new Exiga into journalist's hands in Japan. Coincidentally (or not), a teaser shot of Subaru's new pseudo-CUV popped up on the NASIOC forum over the weekend and it's clear from the darkened profile that many of the elements from the show car have migrated over to the production model.
The Exiga, which appeared at last year's Tokyo Motor Show as a lightly veiled concept, will likely form the basis for the new Outback, slotting in between the Legacy and the Tribeca CUV. However, it's doubtful that when the Exiga (or Outback) makes the trek across the Pacific it will be sporting seven full seats. Its closest competitor here in the States is the forthcoming Toyota Venza, which aims to define a new segment between wagon and crossover, but in reality, both vehicles own their inspiration to the AMC Eagle, the original wagon on stilts.
Mitsubishi and Subaru are entering round two of the newest battle for all-wheel-drive supremacy and AutoExpress has ringside seats. Both automakers are preparing hard-core versions of their turbocharged, rally-bred road rockets and that means more power, more aerodynamic mods and, in the case of Subaru, less weight.
The Lancer Evolution X MR is on the way, with a new fascia equipped with extra venting and a new air intake, while a revised rear wing, side skirts and blacked-out wheels complete the exterior makeover. Output is increased by 20 hp (in JDM spec) to 305 hp and the mid-range has been tweaked to provide more low-end torque, dropping the 0-60 time to under five seconds. The paddle-shifted SST twin-clutch transmission transfers over from the GSR model (likely with some software revisions) and the body has been stiffened to maximize the MR's handling.
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The Subaru WRX STI has the speed and agility to be a track star, but on dirt, few machines on earth can keep up with the sprightly little screamer. The impressive little Scooby can scoot just like the last-gen model, but now it does it with a refinement the old model lacked. For fans and foes of the AWD pocket rocket, team Subie made a one-minute video tribute to the coolness that is STI. Hit the jump to view some seriously amazing jumps, flips, spin-outs, crashes, and power slides featuring the old car that concludes with the '08 ride tearing up the tarmac. If you don't want to go drive an STI after watching this clip, you may be dead.
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AutoCar procured a sketch of the oft-rumored and all-but-confirmed lightweight coupe that's being jointly developed between Subaru and Toyota, and their sources confirm that the final design will be signed off in July. According to the Brit pub, both automakers will have their own version of the rear-wheel-drive, two-door, powered by Subaru's own 175 hp, 2.0-liter boxer engine. A 2.5-liter, turbocharged version is also being considered, which might send power to all four wheels in a nod to the historic Celica GT4. Sales are expected to begin in Japan, the UK and North America in 2010. Here's hoping they can keep it under the $20k mark when it hits U.S.shores.
JL sent us over an email from Subaru of America that's instructed dealers to immediate cease sales of all Subaru models equipped with the turbocharged, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. The directive effects some 2008 and 2009 models built in January and February, including the Forester, Legacy 2.5GT, LTD, 2.5GTB and Impreza sedan and wagon.
The issue involves reports of an "engine knocking noise" that's been affecting vehicles outside the U.S. market, and an initial investigation has found that there is some kind of internal wear that may be causing the noise.
Currently, no U.S. vehicles have been affected, and a Subaru spokesperson told us that the stop sale has been issued as a temporary measure to nip it in the proverbial bud and that once the issue is addressed sales will begin again. You can read the full directive and see the exact production dates of the affected models after the jump.
Emerging reports indicate that Toyota is preparing to nearly double its stake in Subaru's parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries. Toyota initially bought into Fuji when that other automotive giant, General Motors, sold its 8.7% stake to its Japanese rival. The new share-grab, the door to which was opened by revised Japanese laws, would bring Toyota's partial ownership of Fuji up to 17%, just short of double its current stake.
Since Toyota's buy-in of Fuji, cooperation between the two companies has only increased, ranging from new product development to manufacturing. Insiders predict that with the increased stake will come even more integrated collaboration between the two Japanese automakers, which, considering Toyota's enormous success worldwide, can only mean good things for Subaru's operations.
Meanwhile, it's worth noting that with Toyota reportedly considering following Honda into the sky, Fuji's other core business in aerospace could prove an invaluable asset.
I remember the last red Subaru I drove. I was in high school, and the car was my dad's – a new '88 GL wagon with an automatic and push-button 4WD on the shifter. I dug that Scooby. It wasn't powerful but it was fun -- especially when it snowed. Somehow I managed to avoid bouncing it off a lamppost while sliding it around corners. This had much more to do with luck than skill, as I was in high school and clearly an idiot. But I digress -- after all, this isn't about my dad's old GL. It is, however, about a red Subaru – the new Impreza WRX STI, to be specific. If this thing was around back during my neighborhood rally-pretender salad days, I'd probably just be getting my license back right about now.
There are few words in the English language which can conjure up as much meaning, and likely so many memories, as these: road trip. We've all been on them before; some are the highlights of your life and some... well, not so much. But having the right vehicle can make all the difference in the world. Thule, maker of "transportation accessories", has added its name to the ever-growing list of companies that have invented an "__ of the year" award. For this particular honor, Thule has broken the automotive landscape in half, dividing its choices for the best vehicle to take a road trip in at the $30 grand mark. Without further ado, the winners are:
Best road trip vehicle under $30,000: Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited
Best road trip vehicle over $30,000: Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited
If you really want to read all of the reasons that Thule offers for choosing these vehicles, there's a whole press release pasted after the break. We're not going to argue with their choices, as both the Outback and the Highlander are fine vehicles, which would be suitable for a group of four people and their assorted belongings. Sure beats the old funny-smelling air-cooled VW van that had trouble keeping up with the slow-moving traffic that some of us can remember from our childhood.
