Subaru makes a strong start to 2010 sales

By Matt Brogan | February 04th, 2010

Subaru has made a strong start to 2010 selling 3,260 vehicles in January – a 7.8 per cent jump on the same month last year.

Leading the charge is the group’s Subaru Forester model selling an impressive 1,205 units for the month. January also saw strong sales of the new generation Subaru Liberty (654 units) and Subaru Outback (435 units) models which are already proving to be a huge success for the brand.

The Subaru Impreza also enjoyed strong sales in January with 873 units, while the Subaru Tribeca sold just 93 examples.

Subaru’s January market share was 4.4 per cent.

Josh

I’m still waiting on the Diesel around June. Was it confirmed if this model does indeed get the Liberty/Outback interior/facelift?
Who’s right now…?

Liberty ousting the Mazda 6 for second place makes a mockery of all of the “ooh it’s so ugly trash comments”
Meanwhile it’s also selling it’s socks of in the US and Europe.

Redback

It is ugly. Horrendously so. Inexcusably so.

…and don’t get too carried away with press releases. 1089 (combined Liberty/Outback) sales for January put it 200 sales below the equivalent period in 2004 (after the Gen 4 Liberty was introduced).

Furthermore, the market has grown considerably in that time so it’s percentage of the medium vehicle segment has dropped from 16.4% to less than 12%.

While it’s true sales in the US have been very good (they seem to love fat, ugly cars over there) sales in Europe have been appalling.

This is probably understandable, given that Subaru Europe has refused to take the Sedan version of the Liberty at all.

Perhaps they consider it to be unsaleable?

Steven

Europeans prefer wagons and hatches. They don’t understand why people buy sedans unless they are executives in which case you buy a BMW or Mercedes.

Callous Aussie

..but this ain’t Europe and the car is still ugly. I owned and loved an outback. I wouldn’t own this one no matter how well it drives .I just can’t get past that styling. The Forester on the other hand is a great looking vehicle. How can they stuff this one up so much?

I’ll take bets now that they will rush through a tidy up like they did with Tribeca. What ever happened to doing consults before releasing a car? The public would have voted this one down.

Myke

Don’t forget along with the Liberty/Outback they have also grouped that ugly Exiga thing with a Liberty and called it the “Liberty Exiga”.

Tim

If im not mistaken Subaru was also one of the few manufacturers in the US (along with Hyundai) to post a growth during the GFC. Good work Subaru, although improve that damn styling.
alex

Imagine how many more vehicles they would sell if their cars looked good!

Peter

agreed, it is almost as though they are made deliberately with no regard to exterior aesthetics at all. Maybe the concept is “this car is so good it doesnt need to look good”. They are good cars, but I’d rather drive something either very pretty or “so ugly it’s cute” even if it wasnt quite as good a car, but my priorities are all wrong.

Steven

I think the Forester is a decent looking car. Considerably better than the new range dogs breakfast HSV Commodores!
HyundaiSmoke

I still think its neat you guys call it Liberty and we call it Outback. Both to my imaginative mind mean the same thing freedom. You see, I always wnted to go down and drive out in the Outback as fast as possible. Now, that’s ultimate freedom to me.

Speed Traps no big deal, the wide expanse of territory would give me tons of uninterupted cop free time.

Golfschwein

The historical context is this: Years ago, when Subaru were planning on bringing the newly minted Legacy to Australia, someone high up was advised that the Legacy Australia organisation wasn’t thrilled to have Fuji Heavy Industries’ latest and greatest named after their little outfit that cares for widows and dependents of deceased servicemen. The Legacy has therefore always been known as the Liberty in Australia.

Can you guess what Fuji Heavy Industries’ top selling model was in the mid nineteen forties?

Callous Aussie

A tank?

The funny thing is that our sensitive ex-servicemen blocked Subaru from using the legacy tag and now many of them and their decendants drive Japanese cars including the outback. Now doubt they watch their tv’s ,use their washing machines, fridges and microwaves all the while condemning them. People need to move on.

A famous politician once said you will never see Japanese cars in an RSL carpark. Was he ever wrong.

jeff

My Granfather brought a Ford Telstra because it was a good aussie car & not Japanese.
He wasnt impressed when he parked it next to a Mazda 626 and noticed the similarities…
I wonder how many people drive Holdens to be a true blue aussie, but would never buy anything Korean.

Andrew M

Sure it wasnt the Ford Optus???

Gazza

Golfschwein, Callous Aussie.
Legacy Australia do some fantastic work for the families of ex-servicemen and women regardless of when and where they served.
I know, my family benefited from their help when my father passed away.
Legacy is a fine organisation of volunteers and you guys should show a bit more respect.

Golfschwein

I was showing respect. The story about the Legacy becoming the Liberty was true and I meant no disrespect to Legacy or Subaru.

Golfschwein

I agree! The sight of two Nissan Patrol station wagons sporting the biggest Australian flags I’ve ever seen on a car on Australia day is very similar to this. Some people just don’t have a grip on irony.
The Oracle

Callous, you are wrong. It was Bill Bourke when he was MD of Ford Australia and he copped a lot of flack over it, including criticism from amny politicians.