What Does Subaru Know That Others Don't?

robr2

But the article also says that Toyota isn't leaving until 2017. I'm guessing that will give them plenty of time to either expand Georgetown or build another plant.

ateixeira

Hurry up and get out, 'yota!

The storms closed SIA for a day or two, but they're back up and running now.

watkinst

Subaru does not load its cars full of content like all of those who have struggled to find a way to sell cars like Subaru.

When it comes down to it Reliability ratings and owner satisfaction are not about how many gadgets you pump your vehicle full of given the more gadgets in a car the lower the reliability is and usually the lower the owner satisfaction ratings are.

In the end its about value vs having what you need and use that makes Subaru pretty damn good today.

nippononly

I'm really seeing the new Forester everywhere in my area, which was already a pretty Subaru-loving kind of area anyway. They are saying now that they hope to hit their 500K annual sales goal sooner than 2016, or whatever the target year was. I bet they can do it. Meanwhile, VW just keeps sliding the other way wondering what went wrong, even though they sell a much more full model line than Soob does.

Even given that all the new product of the last few years has hit the mark, it's kind of amazing that they will be near the 500K mark soon, when it was way down at just 200K what, less than a decade ago? And all those sales from about 600 dealers or something.

nippononly

I don't know what they know, but they sure know SOMETHING! :-P
From Automotive News:

__Subaru of America set its fifth consecutive sales record in 2013, as its sales jumped 26 percent to 424,683 vehicles.

In a month when many brands struggled to eke out a gain, Subaru's December sales climbed 10 percent to 40,172, the best December in Subaru's history, the company said.

Subaru said more than 60 percent of its customers last year were new to the brand.

...Sales in the Sunbelt -- an area targeted by the company for growth -- rose 45 percent last year, he said.

The redesigned Forester crossover was a major factor in Subaru's performance, with a 62 percent increase in 2013 to 123,592 units.

...Sales of the new Impreza-based XV Crosstrek crossover, introduced in late 2012, surged to 53,741._ _

http://www.autonews.com/article/20140103/RETAIL01/140109968/subarus-latest-record-a-26-jump-in-2013?cciid=email-autonews-sales&r=7000G0458689C5Q#axzz2payI1Vvk

I have to say, that XV CrossTrek thing was a major coup for them, given that it was mostly just a slightly jacked up Impreza. I never would have predicted over 50,000 sales of those, and yet it doesn't surprise me - that is a lot more common in my area than the Impreza is.

They are eyeing a 500K annual sales goal by 2016 - with results like these and a new Outback just over the horizon, they could well do it...

hercules00

I would think marketing.

Watching multiple Subarus flying around dangerous roads at the ski resort this past weekend, it appears that Subaru has convinced its customers that having standard all wheel drive lets your car defy all laws of physics.

Mr_Shiftright

@hercules00 said:
I would think marketing.

Watching multiple Subarus flying around dangerous roads at the ski resort this past weekend, it appears that Subaru has convinced its customers that having standard all wheel drive lets your car defy all laws of physics.

True enough, that same type of macho marketing put many a Range Rover into a ditch (also a very capable off-road vehicle despite the image of it in our minds).

It certainly hasn't been STYLING, that's for sure. So yeah, I'd say marketing, a basically good reputation by word of mouth, some good luck (no horrible publicity in spite of a few rather serious factory defects), affordability, and capturing a young marrieds market.

Also DOGS---dogs have probably sold more Subarus than people have.

jfl

I drive a Subaru and it's the big SUVs tailgating me that concern me. These AWD/4WD drivers just don't understand that once you're off the gas, you're like every other car on the road. Maybe worse if it's bigger and heavier.

xwesx

One thing that I think really helped the Forester and Outback sales to hold/climb over their current (past, in the case of Forester) generations is the fact that they were constantly tweaking the models during that time. They introduced fairly significant package adjustments and drivetrain updates that made a real difference to the consumer. Just a few off the top of my head, there was the CVT, Eyesight (ugh!), FB block, and, for the Forester, the intro of the roof rail/tinted window/alloy wheel package on the "X" trim in mid-year.... MY10?

I know that most manufacturers tweak things a little within a cycle, but I think many of these things were pretty significant compared to what happens within most models' mid-cycle refreshes.

stever

I think the biggest thing they did was make the Outback and Forester bigger. They're practically SUV size now.

rsholland

@Stever@Edmunds said:
I think the biggest thing they did was make the Outback and Forester bigger. They're practically SUV size now.

I agree. When the cars got larger, the sales began to take off. The mechanical upgrades certainly helped too. Also, Subaru has been getting great press. The top grades that CR has heaped upon them has been golden.

Bob

hercules00

@jfl said:
I drive a Subaru and it's the big SUVs tailgating me that concern me. These AWD/4WD drivers just don't understand that once you're off the gas, you're like every other car on the road. Maybe worse if it's bigger and heavier.

To be fair, a heavy vehicle with narrow tires will substantially outperform in snow conditions.

stever

Subaru Tells Dealers Bigger Service Departments Are Needed

No, they aren't breaking down more. "Subaru wants to make certain "the service advisors, the technicians are not too overburdened with work that they can't do a proper fix and redeliver the car to the customer in the right way."

nippononly

How about just adding service departments that aren't crap? I won't go near my local dealer any more - high-priced, inconvenient hours, and incompetent service techs - the perfect trifecta!

morey000

I've had good luck with my local dealer's service department. (Tucson Subaru). Very good service, loaner car, have always done the job right the 1st time. They aren't cheap tho'.

anythngbutgm

There are a few dealers her in NE that I have used which have for the most part been excellent. I did have an issue with one on the south shore of MA that charged us for a 90k mile maintainence and didn't replace the air filter and left mud stains in the interior.

Waiting areas and overall dealer appeal has been hit or miss tho, many of them feel really outdated and Spartan. Compared to the Honda dealers I have been to, they are a bit in need of updates.

anythngbutgm

http://www.leftlanenews.com/subaru-reaches-sales-goal-early-plans-production-bump-88458.html

"Subaru is celebrating its sixth consecutive record-breaking fiscal year, requiring a boost in production to keep up with demand."

xwesx

That's great news!

I have mixed feelings about it because in their quest to "mainstream" in order to appeal to a wider audience, they've coupled that with fewer customer options (e.g., available M/T and turbo, though not necessarily those together) and an uglification of the cars themselves. But, the gen five Outback compared to gen four gives me hope that they are yet redeemable.

So, I guess what I mean to say is that while they are getting more customers and a wider customer base, they're losing folks along the way.

Michaell

xwesx said:

That's great news!

I have mixed feelings about it because in their quest to "mainstream" in order to appeal to a wider audience, they've coupled that with fewer customer options (e.g., available M/T and turbo, though not necessarily those together) and an uglification of the cars themselves. But, the gen five Outback compared to gen four gives me hope that they are yet redeemable.

So, I guess what I mean to say is that while they are getting more customers and a wider customer base, they're losing folks along the way.

I think Subaru and BMW are succeeding despite the potential alienation of their core customers. By widening the appeal, both manufacturers are capturing more first time buyers and leasers (myself included - just bought a 2015 Outback 3.6R in February).

stever

@xwesx, as Yogi would say, they are so popular no one is buying them anymore.

spidpooy

Does Subaru use Real Leather or Synthetic Leather in its Limited trims ?

Michaell

spidpooy said:

Does Subaru use Real Leather or Synthetic Leather in its Limited trims ?

 It is real leather 

dcm61

subaru-sells-out-will-a-fast-growing-carmaker-decide-to-stay-small

fezo

Yeah, they are now officially at full capacity so it's either expand or be happy with that. Honda successfully went from too small to survive independently to being a worldwide big company. I kind of hope Subaru doesn't go that route. I've always liked that they're different - like a Japanese Saab.

Michaell

As a first time Subaru owner, I read that article with interest. We had to wait 2 weeks for our car to arrive at the dealership, so I have first hand knowledge that supply is very tight. Makes for higher transaction prices.

dcm61

Michaell said:

We had to wait 2 weeks for our car to arrive at the dealership, so I have first hand knowledge that supply is very tight.

I had to wait 2+ months for a factory order '96 Outback. Same for a factory order '12 Impreza Sport Limited.

Picked my '89 GL-10 AWD Turbo, '03 Outback, and '15 Forester 2.5i Touring off the lot.

anythngbutgm

http://autoinfoquest.com/2015/12/10/subaru-breaks-ground-for-new-company-hq-in-new-jersey/

"These additions will roughly double the size of the existing headquarter facility, and also benefit the city of Camden thanks to the 600 new jobs that will be created via engineering and contract positions."