As is customary for Japanese automakers, Subaru’s parent company Fuji Heavy Industries has released a five-year action plan outlining its goals for the near future. (You can read about Nissan and Infiniti’s similar plan, released last week.) Subaru’s plan, called Motion-V, covers new models, cooperation with Toyota, and sales goals, among other things.
Three New Models, Hybrid on the Way
The biggest news gleaned from the announcement is the planned addition of three all-new models to the Subaru family, as well as the brand’s first hybrid, by 2016. The hybrid model will arrive for 2013 and likely use technology developed with or borrowed from Toyota, Subaru’s latest strategic partner. Chances are it will be based on the Impreza or Legacy platform, and not a new, separate model.
We’re already familiar with one of the three new models: the eagerly anticipated and yet-unnamed rear-wheel-drive sports car due in spring 2012, a car developed by Subaru and shared with Toyota/Scion. The other two new models aren’t discussed, leading us to believe they’re a bit further out on the calendar. Understandably, Subaru’s not tipping its hand to competitors.
In Japan, Toyota will continue to supply Subaru with the Trezia compact car, which is basically a rebadged Toyota Ractis—itself, a close cousin to the Toyota Yaris. Subaru also will continue an agreement to get minicars from Toyota-controlled Daihatsu, which will provide Subaru with all of its minicar models from spring 2012 onward.
New Technology and Lofty Ambitions
The company says the next half-decade should bring safety features and environmentally friendly technologies never seen before on a Subie. That includes EyeSight, a stereo-camera system for accident avoidance, which was previewed on the Impreza concept but so far hasn’t been offered on a production Subaru.
Other stated goals include increasing the fuel efficiency of Subaru products by 30 percent across the product range globally (which the 2012 Impreza proved is realistic), and reducing production expenses by 20 percent, despite rising material costs and regulatory structures that get more demanding by the year. Another initiative seeks to raise the perceived quality of the company’s products.
Subaru hopes to raise its worldwide annual sales from the 633,000 it plans for 2012 to 900,000 per year by 2016, on to one million sales per year within the next decade. Subaru is also placing special emphasis on moving metal in China and here in North America, where it hopes 380,000 of those 900,000 units will be delivered.
Those are high marks to hit indeed, but Subaru’s sales in the U.S. have grown even during the recession, so future product along with the upcoming Impreza may be able to sustain the growth.
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