History of Subaru: Innovation, Advanced Engineering and Symmetrical AWD

Like many other car companies, Subaru gets its roots as an aircraft manufacturer. In 1950, Fuji Sangyo Co., the predecessor to the parent company of Subaru, Fuji Heavy Industries. Have you ever heard of the Subaru 1500, or the Subaru 360? How does 66 MPG for a 1958 Subaru 360 model sound? Subaru's history is rich in culture and many, many engineering and design improvements.
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Subaru: A short history Subaru is a Japanese auto manufacturer, established on July 7, 1953. In Japanese, Subaru is the name for the Pleiades star cluster, shown on the Subaru logo. The six stars represent six companies that merged to create Fuji Heavy Industries. Today, Subaru is the leading AWD, safety and performance auto manufacturer in the United States.

Subaru's 66 MPG vehicle and the interesting history of the Subaru company.	Subaru owners love their vehicles.
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Do you want 66 MPG? Check out the Subaru 360. (1958-1971) The first official car that Subaru released was the Subaru 1500, also known as the P-1. However, only 20 of these vehicles were ever built. The first mass production Subaru was the Subaru 360. Subaru developed the 360 as the "people's car" in Japan because, at the time, the typical Japanese individual could not afford a car. The 360 earned its iconic nickname the "ladybug" due to its small size and odd shape. 66 MPG! Where do you get one of these economical cars? Economical, yes, but the performance left much to be desired. The vehicle originally boasted a 16HP engine, which upgraded to 36HP optional engine by the end of production in the 1970's. 0 to 50mph was an astonishingly slow 37 seconds. Now you can understand why our current 148HP in the 2012 Subaru Impreza boxer engine that gets 36 MPG and has a 0 to 60 time of 9.8-seconds is such an engineering feat.

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Subaru Becomes Successful Stateside With the struggling Subaru 360 having a tough time selling in the large "muscle" car American market, Subaru designers knew they had to come up with something different and unique. In 1977, Subaru released the Subaru Brat. The Brat looked a lot like the more recent Subaru Baja. It featured 4WD, two-seater cabin and two more seats in the open cargo area. (Try getting away with that today!) This was the first "go-anywhere" vehicle, which made it a huge success in the North American market. Since the Brat Subaru refined its vehicle interiors,and later developed Symmetrical AWD in place of 4WD.

1989-First Generation Subaru Legacy Breaks World Land Speed Record 1989, the first generation Subaru Legacy competed against other vehicles in a 100,000-kilometer (62,137 miles) road test. The Subaru completed the track in 447 hours, 44 minutes and 9.887 seconds with an average speed of 138 MPH. With the new time trial win over all competitors, people started to take notice. Subaru began working on efficient, but powerful engines. For even better performance, get some G's by test-driving the 2011 Subaru WRX STI at Subaru of Keene.


1993-Subaru Legacy Station Wagon Sets New Speed Record During the 1990's the station wagon was gaining popularity for its ability to transport families and gear to their destination. The Legacy wagon is the predecessor to the Subaru Outback of today. Setting an average speed record of 155MPH the Legacy Touring Wagon GT was the world's fastest station wagon. Of course, Subaru was not done producing faster, more efficient engines, like the Boxer engine used in production today.

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1996-98-Subaru Forester and New Subaru Legacy Set Speed Records and Bumper to Bumper Recycling
In 1996, the new Subaru Forester won the renowned Hulman Trophy for setting a new world record with an average speed of 111.9 MPH in the 24-hour challenge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We are not talking about a loaded Subaru Forester with modifications. The Forester competing was selected at random and was nearly identical to the ones sold to the everyday consumer. The Subaru Legacy station wagon did it again. The Legacy Station Wagon turbo model set another land speed record of 168.09 MPH, thus making it the fastest station wagon in the world. Just like the Forester, the Legacy wagon was nearly identical to the same vehicles sold to the everyday customer. In 1996, Subaru puts its roller press production methods to practical use, paving the way for bumper-to-bumper recycling. Today we see that at the Subaru of Indiana plant, located on a nature reserve, which recycles nearly everything it uses in production. The new plant throws away less trash in a year than the average American does in a week. Now that's sustainable innovation!

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2001-2005-The New Subaru Baja and Subaru B9 Tribeca In 2001, Subaru of North America released the Subaru Baja, which was part passenger vehicle and part pickup truck. The design was similar to the Subaru Brat, gained its success in part from its Symmetrical AWD and advanced engineering.
The Subaru B9 Tribeca was officially released in North America in 2005. The 7-passenger advanced sport utility vehicle promised a new generation of crossover vehicles with its 3.0-litre DOHC Boxer Engine. The unique design, high quality interiors and excellent handling quickly gave the B9 Tribeca a large following stateside. Today the "B9" has been dropped from the name, but the advancements gave in to a better looking, more fun 2011 Subaru Tribeca.
What is Subaru Doing Now? If you haven't heard, Subaru of Keene is expecting the new 2012 Subaru Impreza in November 2011. The AWD 2012 Impreza is redesigned from the interior to the exterior. Standard Symmetrical AWD, 36 MPG, in-dash touch screen navigation and touch screen media hub makes the 2012 Impreza a Subaru. With a price tag sub-20K, the 2012 Impreza is a great first new car and a great AWD addition to your family.

Does your car have symmetrical AWD? At Subaru of Keene, our cars do! Check out our great selection of new and used Subarus then call us at 888-466-1070