Archive for Subaru

Not much details of Subaru’s new turbodiesel boxer engine were revealed at the Geneva 2007 Motor Show, causing an outcry from Subaru fans who expected to get the juicy details on the specifications, any new technologies as well as how much power the new oil burning boxer would produce. We got nothing, other than the engine itself put on display mated to an all-wheel-drive drivetrain.

Anyway, Subaru has shifted it’s international focus to the USA, putting it as it’s highest priority market. Subaru intends to add dealerships (target 625 by 2010, currently 601), increase collaboration between Subaru’s US manufacturing and sales arms as well as pay greater attention to U.S. automotive trends to ensure new models are relevant to the US market.

Subaru was previously in a fix, under the leadership of Kyoji Takenaka, it wanted to move upmarket and carry a premium tag, however premium usually means luxury, and that isn’t exactly what Subaru is, thus sales volumes dwindled. I’m not sure what Subaru had in mind then, how do you be premium without actually being premium? Under the new management of Ikuo Mori, Subaru intends to return to it’s roots.

As for new stuff, Geneva 2008 will bring us a new diesel-powered Subaru car and it will go on sale in Europe as well as the US. For the moment, we’ll just have to settle for a video of the new engine after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Subaru’s 4-year plan: turbodiesel boxers!

Subaru’s boxer turbodiesel will make it’s public debut at the 77th Geneva International Motor Show next month, and it will displayed together with a full drive train, mated to Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive system.

Subaru says the turbodiesel boxer will find it’s first use in a vehicle early 2007, perhaps in one of the European spec diesel new Imprezas. No displacement or any power outputs were given in Subaru’s press release, so we will have to wait until next month to get the full details at Geneva. Click the image on the left to view a larger version with more detail.

Subaru will be unveiling it’s next generation Subaru Impreza in a few month’s time at the 2007 New York International Auto Show - 4th April 2007. what we’ll see is the conventional Impreza in 5-door hatchback form, as the mad turbocharged WRX and WRX STI variants are not expected to be ready for unveiling until 2008. The 5-door hatch design is expected to be similiar to the Subaru B5-TPH Concept shown above.

The bread and butter Subaru Impreza is rumored to be powered by normally aspirated 4-cylinder boxers in 1.5 liter and 2.0 liter displacements. The WRX will likely come with an evolution of the potent 2.5 liter turbocharged boxer engine in the current performance Imprezas.

Along with the new Impreza WRX, 2008 will also bring us turbodiesel boxer versions of the Subaru Legacy and the Subaru Outback (Legacy Stationwagon), a 4-cylinder turbodiesel boxer engine has been in development for quite some time now. Subaru announced that the diesel engine was almost complete back in October 2006. It is expected to make about 170hp and 340Nm of torque from a 2.0 liter displacement.

Related Posts:
Subaru B5-TPH Concept
Next-gen Subaru Impreza: sedan and hatch
Subaru says turbodiesel boxer nearly complete
Subaru to develop turbodiesel boxer engine

Subaru Europe President Hiroyuki Ikeda announced at the 2006 Paris Motor Show that the upcoming horizontally opposed 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine by Subaru is almost complete, with development at final stages now.

Subaru’s gasoline boxer won the top spot for the 2.5 liter category in this year’s International Engine of the Year Awards, and the new turbodiesel boxer will be the first oil burning boxer in the world.

The new turbodiesel boxer engine by Subaru is expected to be unveiled at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show.

Subaru’s controversial aircraft propellor-inspired grille that has appeared on the Subaru Tribeca and the Subaru Impreza will be tossed out the window with the next generation of models. I think it’s safe to say that most of us think the new grille is not exactly the most pleasing design to look at. It’s even been called “The Flying Vagina”.

The upcoming Subaru Impreza to be released in both sedan and hatchback form will feature yet another new corporate grille, which I hope is much more better looking than the current weird grille, though topping the current grille in a beauty contest isn’t exactly the hardest thing in the world to do.

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AutoExpress reports that the next generation Subaru Impreza will not be abandoning it’s sedan form, instead it will be offered as both as hatchback and classic sedan form! The 5-door hatchback variation of the Subaru Impreza will come first in the UK summer 2007, while the sedan version will come soon after.

All wheel drive and boxer engines will be standard, but Subaru is also developing a turbodiesel boxer which might find it’s way into this car, given Europe’s diesel affinity.

A concept version of the Subaru Impreza hatchback will be revealed at the 2007 Geneva Auto Show early next year. Design cues will likely come from the Subaru B5 concept shown above.

Related Posts:
2008 Subaru Impreza to be a hatch

Subaru is offering Sti tuning kits for both the Subaru Legacy B4 2.0 GT spec.B sedan and the Subaru Legacy Wagon 2.0 GT spec.B. The GT spec.B is already packs a nice 280 horsepower boxer engine, so modifications cover the package does not include any engine modifications but upgades the car’s interior, suspension, brakes and some other aesthetic upgrades. More details and photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Subaru Legacy STi

Subaru has had enormous success with their recent small car, the Subaru Stella in Japan. Subaru had originally set a target for 5,000 units per month in orders for the Stella, but it managed to surpass that goal within it’s first week on the market, clocking up 5,438 orders by June 20th 2006. This shows a shift in the automotive industry particularly in Japan towards small K-cars or superminis. The Subaru Stella comes with 660cc inline-4 engines options either in normally aspirated or supercharged form. This engine is mated to an i-CVT (intelligent continuously variable transmission) gearbox.

The soaring gas prices are likely to set the world purchasing trends rolling towards smaller cars as well. Toyota and Subaru are now jointly developing a new B-segment small car, which will debut likely in the year 2008. The car will be built by Toyota but will be marketed under the Subaru badge, likely in the European market only.

The Star reported recently that vendors have urged the Malaysian Government to limit incentives for CBU vehicles of over 3,000cc. A local motoring analyst said the entry of more CBU vehicles might have a negative impact on parts vendors in the long term as the industry matures to produce more high-powered vehicles. I disagree with this local motoring analyst and think this is highly unlikely, since purchasing trends have actually been moving towards smaller cars with better fuel economy.

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It’s time to be amused by the little fun car manufacturers overseas have poking and prodding each other thanks to their bitchy (in a good way) creative agencies.

Do you remember that little grey monster thingy that Volkswagen is using to promote it’s Volkswagen Golf GTI? Volkswagen calls it a Fast, and it’s supposed to be that desire inside of you for speed, acceleration, G forces, the sound of a roaring engine and all that.

I’m pretty sure a Fast would not be very happy with the silent Tesla Roadster. Anyway, this is what Subaru thinks about Volkswagen’s Fast. You can click on the image for a larger version. Enjoy!

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Volkswagen Golf GTI Fast Documentary
Volkswagen Golf GTI Fast Advertisements

Subaru will be changing the all too familiar sedan shape of it’s rally-inspired Subaru Impreza car to a hatchback form when it’s next incarnation is introduced in 2008. We’ve kind of known this was going to happen when Subaru showed us the Subaru B5-TPH Concept at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show.

Shown above is an artist’s impression from Road & Track on how the Impreza hatch could possibly look like. This move is in line with Subaru’s plan to position the new Impreza hatch against hot hatches like the Golf GTI, Golf R32/R36 and the Ford Focus. A preview of the final production vehicle will be shown next year at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. The car will come in both 3-door and 5-door models.

Engine options are expected to be a naturally aspirated 2.0 liter four-pot boxer producing 170 horsepower for the baseline model, and the WRX versions will have a turbocharged version under the hood. STi versions will have a higher performance turbocharged four-pot boxer producing over 300 horsepower.

There will also be four-pot boxer turbodiesel options, developed together with Toyota. Of course, the car will retain it’s trademark AWD drivetrain.