LeftLane

Just hours after Chevrolet made it public that GM’s bread and butter brand had landed Subaru’s marketing director, the Japanese automaker announced its replacement.

2010 will likely be remembered as a year filled with fluctuations for the automotive industry, with the marketing personnel practically leading the way with countless changes.

By crossing over to the mainstream with its latest Outback, Subaru has gained tremendous market share. But is this Subaru still a Subaru?

Car commercials come in many forms, some go for high-dollar props and special effects, some comedy, some focus on the competition – and some on love.

Following very quickly after a pair of unrelated recalls for the popular Legacy and Outback, now NHTSA has announced the pair’s third recall – and stop-sale order.

Subaru has acquired the help of Dave Mirra to pilot the 2011 WRX STI whilst carrying precious passenger cargo, with cameras rolling – hoping fun sells.

Subaru’s latest WRX has seen a raft of incremental changes since its 2008 debut. Does a widebody look and a host of tweaks to the WRX STI make it the best yet?

Beach cars, essentially low-power buggies intended as toys for the rich, famous and sunshine area-dwelling, were nothing new by the time this Subaru 360 was customized in 1971. Still, this quirky car – the one that Malcolm Bricklin used to launch Subaru into North America – might be one of our favorites.

Subaru and Cosworth have revealed a special edition Impreza STI that is set to go on sale in June. The Cosworth Impreza STI CS400 will boast 395 horsepower and a 0-t0-62 sprint of just 3.7 seconds.

We can’t try to hide our affection for Subaru, maker of slightly left-of-center cars as adept at slinging through muck as they are sliding around a race track – and neither can the buying public. The Japanese automaker’s sales are one of the few bright points in the auto industry and its diverse product lineup [...]

Subaru’s performance arm, STI, has taken the wraps off of its new high-performance special edition WRX STI R205, which follows in the vein of the R203 and R204 before it. Unfortunately for world consumers, the WRX STI R205 is reserved only for Japan’s domestic market.

Toyota and Subaru have teamed up to create a highly anticipated 2-door sports coupe that has many anxiously awaiting their release – and now they may have one more reason to get excited. A source close to Toyota has revealed the possibility of a special track-ready version of the FT-86 that features a significant price [...]

Subaru’s gullwinged Hybrid Tourer concept debuted in North America at the Los Angeles Auto Show today. Billed as a “new proposal for the future of [the] grand touring car, the concept car shows off the potential of a hybrid powertrain hooked up to Subaru’s traditional boxer four-cylinder.

At the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas, Subaru took to the stage with a wild concept created in parternship with Vermont SportsCar: The TRAX STI, which features Mattracks rubber tracks.

Subaru looked to the Japanese underground for inspiration for its latest Legacy VIP concept. The Legacy VIP shown at the 2009 SEMA show in Las Vegas offers a glimpse of the aftermarket potential of the 2010 Legacy as well as a peek into the slow-riding cruiser culture of Japanese gangsters.

That youthful, playful and slightly rough around the edges Subaru we once knew has passed through its awkward puberty stage to become a fully grown up automaker. No longer cranking out the outlandish, like the Brat or Baja, Subaru has chosen to focus on the mainstream with its redesigned Legacy.

On the brink of disaster about 15 years ago, Subaru performed one of the industry’s biggest turnarounds ever by mildly ruggedizing and rechristening its already durable Legacy wagon. Accompanied by a memorable advertising blitz staring Paul Hogan, the Outback found its way into thousands of garages in a matter of months and is now the [...]

Some things change for the better, while some change for the worse. Yet others appear to change, but in reality end up walking the same line as before. The Subaru Impreza 2.5 GT, a new-for-2009 model aimed at a slightly different audience than before, happens to fall into at least two of these categories.

Subaru says that it plans to launch its plug-in electric vehicle, based on its Stella minicar, beginning late next month. The Japanese automaker hopes to have about 170 of its zero-emissions minicars on the road by the end of March 2010.

Late last week, the first redesigned 2010 Subaru Legacy sedan rolled down the line at the Japanese automaker’s Lafayette, Indiana, assembly plant. The Job 1 vehicle, a dark blue Legacy sedan, completed assembly late Friday afternooon amid confetti and celebrations by the automaker, which has enjoyed comparatively strong sales so far this year.

Subaru has unveiled the wagon version of its upcoming 2010 Legacy. Looking much as you’d expect – a blend between the Legacy sedan and the Outback wagon that were unveiled in New York earlier this year – the Legacy Touring Wagon is not expected to reach the United States market, though it will probably be [...]

A legendary vehicle from its creation in 1992, the Subaru Impreza WRX has been on most import tuner enthusiasts’ short lists for hot boxes since its old-school days eons ago – and thanks, in part, to its appearance in video games that well preceded its arrival in the United States.

In the world of automobiles, you’ll find the well-known top dogs, a handful of just plain dogs and, at the bottom of the heap, you’ll find the underdogs: The unexpected, often overlooked and sometimes scrappy contenders that won’t meet the sales acclaim of the top dogs but rather revel in enthusiasm from the lucky few [...]

Long a favorite utilitarian tool of such tucked away burgs as Stowe, Vermont, and Carbondale, Colorado, Subaru has in recent years made a dramatic push towards the mainstream. The automaker has focused on selling a broad range of cars in big markets where all-wheel-drive and heated windshield wipers aren’t a priority. Places like Atlanta and [...]

The latest update of the upcoming Subaru sports coupe that is being jointly developed with Toyota points to the coupe not being a coupe at all, but a three-door hatchback instead.

It seems Subaru’s earlier concerns about having to share the marketplace with a nearly identical model from Toyota will be put to rest, as Wednesday’s reports say Toyota will only sell its yet-to-be-named version in Japan. While this may be bad news to Toyota fans, the car will have a typically Subaru feel, as its [...]

The long-awaited 2008 Impreza WRC rally car will make its factory-backed World Rally Championship debut at the Acropolis Rally later on this month, instead of August’s Rally Finland, as originally planned. The race car, based on the third-generation Impreza WRX STI platform, has been undergoing testing since last year, with an official debut at last [...]

Wednesday’s unconfirmed reports have Toyota nearly doubling its stake in Fuji Heavy Industries, which owns and manufactures Subaru vehicles. In 2005, Toyota acquired 8.7 percent of FHI, and it is expected to increase that stake to 17 percent shortly. The move would infuse FHI with about $275 million in cash that would be partly spent [...]

At the New York Auto Show last week, Subaru announced it would begin testing its R1e electric vehicle in conjunction with the New York Power Authority this summer. Two of the R1e vehicles will join the NYPA fleet, promising a 50-mile range that costs less than $2 in electricity, a 65 mph top speed and [...]

Subaru has decided to give the public a taste of its upcoming World Rally Championship edition of its Subaru Impreza in the form of a concept car to be premiered at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Subaru and WRC have a nearly epic history together, so it’s no surprise that the automaker will look [...]

Subaru will launch the redesigned B9 Tribeca crossover at the New York Auto Show in April, according to Automobile magazine. Under the hood, the Tribeca will get a modest boost to 254 horsepower (up from 245 hp), and more importantly, 247 pound-feet of torque (up from 215 lb-ft). Of course, the Tribeca’s disappoint sales had [...]

Subaru is considering building STI versions of more vehicles in its model lineup, according to Tomohiro Ishitobi, Subaru vice president of product planning. In an interview with AutoWeek, Ishitobi said “We are discussing it internally” and “We feel the market is ready.” At the SEMA car customization expo, Subaru unveiled the Forester Sports 2.5 XT [...]

Spy photographer Chris Doane for Brenda Priddy & Company caught a disguised 2008 Subaru WRX in testing this week in California. Previously, there have been several sightings of possible WRX test mules (in Legacy bodies). These pictures show an actual WRX prototype. The car is expected to take some inspiration from the Subaru B5 concept, [...]

Say goodbye to Subaru’s “propeller nose.” The aircraft-inspired grille and front fascia will become a thing of the past as the Japanese automaker rolls out new models over the coming years, reports Australia’s Herald-Sun. Company spokesman David Rowley told the newspaper the new face — most recently introduced on the Impreza last September — received [...]

Back in April, we told readers about a report from the U.K.’s AutoExpress magazine suggesting the next-generation Subaru Impreza would be offered in hatchback form only. In its latest issue, the magazine now claims that not only will both sedan and hatchback variants be offered, but they will arrive at nearly the same time. The [...]

Subaru Rally USA driver Travis Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom took the gold medal in the inaugural X Games Rally event held August 2-5, clinching a sweep of the podium by Subaru rally cars. Pastrana edged out a win over rally legend and former Subaru World Rally Champion Colin McCrae. (+ Crash video and backstory [...]

Subaru in Japan has launched a new Legacy “tuned by STi” package, limited to 600 units. The kit is available for the both the Legacy Wagon and Sedan (B4). It features a 280 horsepower engine, plus a number of visual enhancements. It features sports suspension with Bilstein dampers, STi spoilers, 18″ wheels, an STi muffler, [...]

Subaru yesterday confirmed that premium versions of its 2007 Legacy and Outback will feature the company’s new SI-Drive system. Subaru Intelligent Drive offers the option of three different driving modes. The modes are easily selected using a centre console dial, or steering wheel controls. For those wanting to achieve optimum fuel consumption and ride comfort [...]

Japanese automaker Subaru will begin offering diesel engines in some of its cars in 2008, according to the U.K.’s WhatCar? magazine. Rather than borrowing an engine from another automaker, Subaru elected to develop one from the ground up, the magazine said. The 2.0-litre engine is expected to first appear in the 2008 Legacy. A larger [...]

BMW, Audi, and Subaru have apparently been taking shots at each other overseas with some not-so-subtle jabs about their competition. Apparently, it all began when BMW “congratulated” Audi for winning the South African Car of the Year, “from the winner of the World Car of the Year 2006.” Audi then responded with a boast about [...]

It seems for every automaker that saw sales collapse in July, another car company took up the slack and set a new sales record. Subaru of America recorded its best July in company history, with sales totaling 18,923 units, up five percent for the month compared with the same period last year. Both the Subaru [...]

Ever wonder which automaker has the best all-wheel-drive system? Loyalists for each brand will probably have explanations as to why their system of choice is superior, but a practical real-world test never hurts. In the video after the jump, a tester pits the Volvo XC70 against a Subaru Legacy. It’s worth noting that the Volvo [...]

The U.K.’s TopGear took a look at the impressive Prodrive P2 this weekend. Based on a Subaru architecture, the P2 features a stunning body and some very high-tech features that give it incredible performance. It can reach 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds, with a top speed of 174 mph. Presenter Jeremy Clarkson also demonstrates [...]

Autobytel has created a list of the 10 Most Fuel Efficient SUVs for 2006. Each vehicle gets over 24 mpg in mixed driving, and the order is based on desirability: 1. 2006 Toyota RAV4-22 mpg city, 29 mpg hwy 2. 2006 Honda CR-V’s-23 mpg city, 29 mpg hwy 3. 2006 Honda Element’s-22 mpg city, 26 [...]

Fuji Heavy Industries today unveiled the 2007 Subaru Legacy and Outback. The facelifted models are to go on sale in Japan immediately. As always, the vehicles feature Subaru Symmetrical AWD (All-Wheel-Drive), along with FHI’s original, Horizontally Opposed engine. The Legacy 2-liter turbo engine model and 3-liter engine model come equipped with the SI-DRIVE (Subaru Intelligent [...]