Size does matter, even when it comes to car brands. Subaru produces approximately 900,000 cars per year, with about 70% of the total volume is sold in America, the largest market. The home country, Japan, is the second-largest market and in Europe, the brand sells around 30,000 cars annually.
Subaru is seen as a small brand but to put the production numbers into perspective, Subaru is about the size of Opel and twice the size of Volvo.
Subaru is mainly known for its SUVs and Crossovers, all spacious, safe, and very capable cars both on and off-road. The brand is also known for its blue and yellow WRX STI rally cars, which made history by becoming three-time world rally champions. The focus now is on SUVs and EVs. New is the Solterra, the brand's first fully electric SUV.
Child wearing seatbelt
Subaru embraces differentiating technologies, not for the sake of being different, but because of the benefits of these unique technologies. Every Subaru with an internal combustion engine has a boxer engine. Due to its flat design, the engine sits low in the car. Safe, because the engine slides under the car in a frontal collision. This construction method also positively influences the road holding with a low center of gravity. The brand has now produced over 20 million boxer engines.
All Subarus come with four-wheel drive as standard, proven to be safe in winter conditions. AWD also has advantages in the wet and the dry, and there is always grip, even when cornering. Additionally, the straight-line stability of cars with AWD is better, the tyres wear more evenly, and there is more driving pleasure. With AWD, Subaru offers peace of mind, the relaxed feeling that the car gives you in difficult conditions. There are no clearer arguments for choosing AWD, especially now that the weather is becoming more extreme in our part of Europe. Subaru has produced more than 21 million cars with Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive over the past 50 years.
Subaru aims for zero road casualties by 2030, thanks to special technology and active safety measures, as well as thick Japanese steel, ring-shaped cage constructions, and a driver support system called EyeSight. This works with two cameras because these cameras see more than laser or radar and estimate contrast better. It acts as an extra pair of eyes for the driver and helps avoid collisions and is truly one of the best safety systems in the industry, according to independent safety organizations. EyeSight is always standard on every Subaru and so far more than five million cars with this safety system have been delivered.
The location of the cameras has been deliberately chosen. Parking damage is easily incurred (think of a reversing car with a tow bar that pulverizes a bumper while parking). For cars with radar or laser, this easily results in many thousands of euros in damage. Not with EyeSight, which sits high and dry behind the front windscreen. You should also take that dryness literally. Have you ever driven with laser or radar in a blizzard? The systems are quickly clogged up and no longer work. With EyeSight, windshield wipers and heating keep the window cleaner under appalling conditions, so the system works better. Are there limits? If the human eye can no longer see, EyeSight can no longer see either.
Solterra with boat
Subaru is a brand with an eye for detail, which means that every Subaru is full of all kinds of clever features. How about the thin A-pillar that does not obstruct the view, the large mirrors mounted on the doors, the large glass area, and the narrow C-pillar for optimal all-round visibility? There's more: a step on the sill (Outback and Forester) at the back door makes it easier to load stuff on the roof. Or a washer on the reversing camera (Forester and Outback). And have you ever tried to operate the AC knobs with gloves on? In a Subaru, it is no issue.
Safe and reliable, that is what Subaru is. Of all Subarus produced in the last decade, 97% are still on the road. Mileages of three to four hundred thousand kilometres and more are no exception. The brand always scores high in reliability surveys, including those from the American JD Power and various national Consumer Associations.
Solterra is Subaru's first EV. Is Subaru late with such a car? Perhaps, but there is a nuance: the brand will never be at the forefront of new developments. That may be the fate of a small and independent brand. It also has to do with the requirements the brand sets for its models. The EV must also be a true Subaru, a car that makes possible whatever you decide to do today. The Solterra will take you wherever you want to go. Therefore, a true Subaru. And 100% electric.
So, Subaru. A brand that attaches great importance to safety. Hence four-wheel drive, boxer engine, EyeSight/SafetySense, and a wealth of safety equipment. Subaru also values Peace of Mind and non-conformity. Subaru looks like a Subaru and has technology that no one else uses. That technology is not there just to be different, but because it works. There is a sacred belief in that technology. Finally, Subaru finds driving pleasure and adventure important. Don't see the car as a limitation, but as a means to reach your goal, in a way that is fun too. That's Subaru.
