Word: subaru
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...manufacturers doing well? Subaru continues to chug along, building on its modest success last year. Overall, Subaru's sales are down only 1% during the first six months of the year, and it just reported a 3% increase in June. Audi is another carmaker showing signs of gaining share in a difficult market. While its sales are down slightly, Audi now holds more than 9% of the U.S. luxury market, its largest share in years. (Watch an interview with Ford CEO Alan Mulally...
...hybrids, smaller automakers including start-ups like Tesla Motors in the U.S. and several Chinese car companies see EVs as a chance to gain ground on larger rivals, especially in an era of high fuel prices and a more environmentally conscious public. Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subaru, announced on June 4 its rollout plans for its Stella EV, which has a sticker price of $48,000 and a range of 90 km. The company will begin delivering the vehicles around the same time as Mitsubishi (late July) and expects to produce about 170 units this fiscal year, compared...
...Like Nissan and Subaru, which are rolling out their own plug-in electric cars over the next 18 months, Mitsubishi hopes that they'll catch on with consumers worldwide. But they are still a gamble. Although technological advances continue to reduce the cost and recharging time of lithium-ion batteries while increasing range, electric vehicles are expensive - the i-MiEV costs $47,500 - and the market will take years to reach the level of hybrid sales. "For five to 10 years, EVs will be for city commuters, used in a limited area, while the hybrid is a pure alternative...
...accomplish both, the company expanded its safety-first image to one that includes better performance and more fun. After all, who wants to motor around in the equivalent of all-wheel-drive bubble wrap? California, a vital auto market, discovered Subaru courtesy of models like the Impreza WRX. All-wheel drive is terrific in the Sierras, but in the Los Angeles Basin, it's more about performance, which the 265-hp, intercooled, turbocharged WRX could address. The muscle models scored well with younger drivers and allowed Subaru to get more exposure for its full line...
...Having more than weathered the dreadfully bad 2008, Subaru officials aren't planning on lowering sales this year. At Detroit's North American International Auto Show, Subaru unveiled a concept car that will likely evolve into a midsize sedan version of its Legacy. And on a broader note, Doll says that more available credit and Barack Obama's stimulus package should get additional buyers into showrooms. Of course, if all else fails, there are always those folks who bought an Outback 7.3 years ago - and are ready to return...