Subaru executives readily admit that their “anywhere, any time” all-wheel-drive rides aren’t always the prettiest. Nevertheless, the little automaker from Tokyo, Japan, has been on a tear.
In 2010, it posted its best-ever sales figures in the United States, an increase of 22 percent over 2009 for a total of 263,820 vehicles. In the last three years, as the rest of the auto industry struggled with double-digit sales declines, Subaru was the only automaker that posted consecutive sales increases.
The key to this windfall? Subaru says that it’s attractive pricing and ideal vehicle sizing. So it makes sense that the company opted to stay the course on price and size for the fourth-generation Impreza, but to focus on improving two other vital characteristics of its best-seller.
“With the 2012 Impreza, we’re heavy up on style, and we’re heavy up on fuel efficiency. That’s where we go next,” says Michael McHale, Subaru’s head of corporate communications. Read the rest of this entry »