Subaru is changing their leadership in Japan and in North America. What does this mean in the era of electrification for the small Japanese automaker?
#subaru #outback #forester #wrx #solterra #crosstrek #awd
Sources:
https://www.autonews.com/automakers-suppliers/subarus-new-ceo-makes-flexibility-and-expansion-key-focus
https://www.autonews.com/sales/february-us-auto-sales-hyundai-kia-subaru-advance-7th-straight-month-toyota-honda-slip
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/Subaru-to-nominate-executive-Atsushi-Osaki-as-next-president
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00:00 – Subaru is changing
05:11 – Kia is CRUSHING everyone
source
I want NOTHING to do with electric cars! I will not buy one as long as gas cars are made!
Kirk, by the LACK OF INDPENDENTLY DESIGNED TECH, unlike Mazda, I now see Subaru being bought by Toyota even before this decade is out…
We need 150 mile ev with gas generator as the main powertrain on all cars
Toyota was last to be affected by the chip shortage. Should start to unwind now.
As a huge Subaru fan over the years, I've been severely disappointed they haven't moved more quickly into the hybrid space. Their marketing is often around the environment so why did they not embrace improved gas mileage methods earlier? I love my Legacy but most likely will be getting a Toyota or Lexus hybrid next. Subaru took too long.
I’d be buying a new Subaru to replace my great 2017 Impreza (my 6th Subie) IF they would bring a good hybrid or PHEV now.
I’m a bit worried what the new Subaru CEO has planned and what it will mean for Subaru customers. There aren’t many electric vehicle charging stations out in the wilderness. I really hope that Toyota’s 20% stake in Subaru and planned changes do not turn Subaru and their awesome culture into Toyota. The Toyota dealership relationship with customers is terrible and borders on being predatory. I want Subaru to remain true to their customers and current culture and business practices.
I don’t think electric cars are going to be a very large part of the US market because of Russia and the fact that the Chinese economic model is about to implode. We can only make so many BEVs with what we have in North America for lithium, copper, nickel, etc.
With that said, Subaru would be wise to build a few electric models. But any automaker going “all in” is probably making a mistake.
thank you for the video!
I want fast, sporty WRXS or Legacy Spec models with REAL TRANSMISSIONS. Without that, I'm buying Acuras now.
Maybe Subaru needs to go back to woke advertising with Paul Hogan Martina natrolova again 😆😆😆 could just finish them off
I wonder if they will be flexible enough to get their WRX STI back in the mix ASAP, electrified or not. It's still a benchmark in performance for the price point and one of the only real "rally" road cars, but they scaled back when others stepped up. GRCorolla, CTR & Elantra N (at least in the paved road space), even the new golf R competed $ wise with last gen Limited STI. If Hyundai can take the AWD from the regular Kona and put it in the N or a manual (or some other equivalent enters the market), then Subaru will have gone from THE choice to possibly the LAST choice.
Subaru needs to make their new SPT standard on ALL of their models, not just the automatic wrx.
What the hell do you mean you've never heard anything bad about Subaru CVT's? There is a reason the CVT in our 17' Forester XT has been granted a 10 year 100,000 mile warranty extension my dude.
I would hope subaru would make a hybrid outback
Man, all I really want this new CEO of Subaru to do is to bring back physical climate controls. Having to use the laggy touchscreen to control HVAC is cancer and will be literal aids in a few years when the touchscreen slows down even more.
If Subaru could focus on rugged, practical and accessible it can't do wrong.
Where Toyota have missed the opportunity with the 5th Gen Prius by going up market, I can see Subaru appealing to both Subaru and Prius tastes by making an economical, ergonomic go-anywhere AWD Hybrid. Kammback, hatchback, station wagon or pickup
Have Toyota's and Subaru's executives not seen the online community of "overlanders" and "van lifers" full of lift kits and 1500W inverters on Priuses lately? It's already a generator on wheels.
I think availability may have played a part in the high Ridgeline sales. That’s the only vehicle on the lot of my local Honda dealership.
Manufacturers need to stop leapfrogging from gas cars to EV cars. Subaru doesn't even have a single half decent hybrid car. Their last hybrid attempt was a crappy plug in Crosstrek which is another example of leapfrogging. Subaru didn't even have a regular hybrid and they leapfrogged to a plug in hybrid and half-assed the attempt. Even Toyota which is known for hybrids, can't even keep up with hybrid demand, hasn't made hybrids standard, nor have they made hybrids as cheap as regular gas models. Yet they want to waste time and resources on EVs.
Kirk, Sometimes the simplest plan is the best plan. Subaru took a major step forward by allowing Toyota to build the Solterra for them. Next up they should sell the 55 mpg AWD Corolla Hybrid wagon as a Subaru in North America just as Suzuki does with the FWD Corolla Hybrid wagon in Europe. Ultimately, Subaru should just let Toyota build all their cars.🤩 One more thing, a few weeks ago we learned on this channel that Subaru pays less than McDonalds, do you think that could be part of the problem? 🤔
I agree about the hybrids, when my outback lease expired I got a Honda CRV hybrid.
Subaru seems to have rested on their laurels for too long. Their concepts are always so amazing yet while others have been able to bring it to market (like Hyundai), Subaru seems to be stuck in the past, at least on the North American front. I guess they sell well but the dealer experiences I've had weren't the best, and they have much more competition now in the AWD space
Subaru sucks right now!
CVTs
No hybrids
No PHEV
Dear Subaru… here is the clue… Why is RAV4-hybrid and Highlander-hybrid so popular ???
You lucky SOB, you don't have to invent any hybrid system, just adapt it from Toyota as you did in PHEV Crosstrek.
K5 is probably down because of people stealing them. So many new car shoppers are being swayed away from that model.
It'll be interesting to see the Civic and CR-V numbers later this year as Honda has announced that they are bringing back the base models of each.
Sounds about right at Toyota. My close dealer had no Corollas and Camrys. Just Hylanders, Tacomas and 2 super expensive Tundras….
Electrification is the road to bankruptcy !!
Subaru dead guys. No electrification plan at all. No e-platform. Tesla destroyed all Japanese
Subaru is a car?
Glad that Subaru is still planning to put Toyota's hybrid system into their vehicles. Toyota hybrids are sold out. So we need more options.
Turbo Crosstrek …… we’ve been asking for a DECADE!!!!!!! No more CVT’s on any Subaru models
Ugh it’s going to take them so long to get into the game and be producing enough vehicles. It’s a cheat code to go with Toyota to produce Evs w them but I guess it’s better than nothing. Honda needs to do the same. Just make your own EVs. Speaking of Toyota, I’m wondering if they’re going to adopt the modular casting that Tesla production uses. I love to see people make a process even better.
bringing back the Baja (but a bit larger) would be great!
I hope Subaru takes electrification from their oddball approach like they did with their oddball cars. That way oddballs can continue to buy oddball cars and eat ramen.🤔🤷😂🍜👍
I’m sure the officials at Subaru are still weeping over the death of the Evo.
4:40 the non-turbo CVT’s aren’t horrible. But the Ascent is horrible. It’s mainly in the TCM logic. Who the heck wants fake shifts out of a CVT in auto mode??? Once you pass 50% throttle, the shifts are often jerky and makes it feel like something is wrong even when it’s not. Just let the CVT operate like a CVT is designed to function!! Plus some other drivability quirks in how it’s programmed. The OBXT, OBW and Legacy turbo seem to have similar annoyances.
Outback hybrid would be awesome. I currently have a Sportage hybrid and love it. Very impressive numbers from Kia.
I use to like subaru…. stopped over the last 5 years due to losing their soul they use to have
Toyotas sales are slumping because of the dealers nonsense
Why should Subaru go electric? There's no point? Yes, they'll need to in time but their niche is cold, snowy weather and off-road. Their cars are fine, maybe the styling could use work.
IMO, Honda and Toyota are suffering from not making enough cars so sales are down. Yes, Honda and Toyota need BEVs and I think Toyota should bring the bZ3 into the USA. But the bZ4X's stats just don't cut it. They have to improve in terms of range and charging speed. Those are two critical areas where Toyota has to do better. Toyota also has to cut down on long waits to get their vehicles. That's hurting them.
I’m shocked Subaru hasn’t had any evs or phev…😢
Subaru will be using Toyota’s EV plan…thats a plan to fail.
I think the reason Toyota’s retail sales are falling is due to the dealership markups. They’re insane! They had a Corolla GR with a markup of $15,000 at my dealership. They also had a $7,000 markup on a Corolla Cross. It’s crazy lol.
I’m also not too surprised that the Camry and Corolla are going up in sales. I wonder if Toyota people are finally shopping for what they need and not what they want due to the recession.