Men Free Blog

Subaru debuted its new 2.0L diesel boxer engine earlier this year in the Legacy and Outback, and soon it will also be offered in the Forester and Impreza, though only in Europe. These two latest models to feature the unique horizontally opposed oil-burning engines will debut at the Paris Motor Show next month. The Forester 2.0D will offer 147 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque while returning 44.8 combined mpg in the European cycle, which is class-leading for a small CUV over there, while the Impreza 2.0D offers 148 hp and 258 lb-ft (fuel economy for the Impreza 2.0D was not released for some reason). The diesel Forester will hit showrooms later this month while Euro shoppers will have to wait until January for the diesel Impreza. While we certainly hope Subaru is tweaking its 2.0L diesel boxer engine to meet emissions standards in all 50 U.S. states, we haven’t heard one word about it.

Mitsubishi and Subaru are entering round two of the newest battle for all-wheel-drive supremacy and AutoExpress has ringside seats. Both automakers are preparing hard-core versions of their turbocharged, rally-bred road rockets and that means more power, more aerodynamic mods and, in the case of Subaru, less weight.

The Lancer Evolution X MR is on the way, with a new fascia equipped with extra venting and a new air intake, while a revised rear wing, side skirts and blacked-out wheels complete the exterior makeover. Output is increased by 20 hp (in JDM spec) to 305 hp and the mid-range has been tweaked to provide more low-end torque, dropping the 0-60 time to under five seconds. The paddle-shifted SST twin-clutch transmission transfers over from the GSR model (likely with some software revisions) and the body has been stiffened to maximize the MR’s handling.

Subaru is taking a different tack, keeping power upgrades to the STI’s turbo’d 2.5-liter boxer to a minimum and instead focusing on weight reduction. The Impreza WRX STI Spec C will get a slightly revised aero kit, with a roof scoop (functional?), standard gold wheels, a lightweight roof, aluminum trunk lid, compact battery, smaller fuel tank and thinner compartment glass all around. All that work is expected to result in a 154-pound drop in weight, so the Spec C will tip the scales at just over 3,000 pounds.

Subaru is also planning to equip the new Legacy with the STI’s drivetrain, a revised suspension and slapping on an “S402″ badge on the back, along with a sporting interior with more grippy seats. All of this is only for JDM consumption at the moment, but we’d expect to see both the MR and Spec C hit the UK next year, with sales in the U.S. of the MR coming around the same time.
[Source: AutoExpress]

Thumbing through the last issue of 0-60, one of the car-guyiest car mags around, I turned the page and saw an image that stopped me cold. Mother of pearl, a Subaru rally car flying through the air at a snowboard park. How is that even possible? We’ve all seen imagery of airborne rally cars, but the cruising altitude is usually just a couple feet. These shots depict serious flight. General Lee, Bo and Luke Duke flight. $150,000 worth of machinery being treated as the Greatest. Snowmobile. Evar.

It turns out 0-60 contributor and driver extrodinaire Ken Block was behind the wheel of that car, flying off jumps intended for snowboarders with 3,000 pounds of machinery as part of the shoot for the DC Shoes production MTN.LAB 1.5. Hit the jump for more, and to see some of the jaw-dropping video.

[Source: 0-60]

Two days in New Zealand with cameras sprinkled about and helicopter fly-bys nets you a supremely well done video. Who hasn’t wanted to be this antisocial with their car, too? There’s plenty of scenes where the choreography between car and snowboarder is worthy of Busby Berkeley, but the kicker is the end. Huge ramp, huge landing ramp, too much speed. The result, great images, but a busted up rally car and a fractured vertebrae. Ouch. Check the video from 0-60 below, and there’s three more at DC’s website.

Read

Thanks to Subaru’s newest marketing campaign, we finally know what really makes a Subaru a Subaru. Love. Really? Allow Tim Mahoney, chief marketing officer for Subaru of America, to explain, “Love is the most powerful emotion and ‘I love my Subaru’ is the most used phrase I hear about our brand. We wanted to show the bond between Subaru owners and their cars through this work.”

While it seems that current owners may love their cars, Subaru’s research into the subject shows that the majority of the population have no strong feelings toward the brand at all. Past Subaru ads have communicated the rational reasons for purchasing a Subaru, but the marketing team now intends to key in on three specific subjects: the heart, the brain and the wallet, highlighting all of the considerations of a consumer looking for a new car. Will the new advertisements resonate with consumers? Dunno, but we do know that while we love ourselves some STI, there isn’t much else that Subaru has to offer which make our hearts race.

Subaru of America, Inc. Unveils New Marketing Campaign

CHERRY HILL, N.J., April 24 /PRNewswire/ — Subaru of America, Inc. today announced a new marketing campaign based on the strong emotional bond Subaru owners have with their vehicles. The campaign, developed by the company’s brand agency, Carmichael Lynch, features print, TV and digital media components.

Two key research-based insights led to the campaign: the first was that while most consumers have heard of Subaru and believe it to be a good product, 60 percent have no strong emotional opinion or attachment to the brand. The second was that Subaru owners are known for their outspoken passion and love for the brand, and this applied across all models around the country.

The campaign squarely places the car and the consumer at the center of the advertising. John Colasanti, chief executive officer of Carmichael Lynch said, “Subaru owners are ‘experience seekers’ — they want to live bigger, more engaged lives. They choose Subaru as a conscious alternative to the mainstream. To them, the car is the enabler of that bigger life.”

By focusing on the love they have for their car, Subaru is challenging non-owners: do you love your car?

“Love is the most powerful emotion and “I love my Subaru” is the most used phrase I hear about our brand,” says Tim Mahoney, chief marketing officer for Subaru of America, Inc. “We wanted to show the bond between Subaru owners and their cars through this work.”

Kevin Mayer, director of marketing communications for Subaru of America, Inc., states, “In the past, a lot of work was done that spoke to the strong rational reasons for buying a Subaru — now, we’re adding a level of communication that focuses on the heart, or the emotional connection owners have with their Subaru.”

The work is split into three tiers: The Heart, The Brain, and The Wallet, based upon the process of how consumers approach a new vehicle purchase. The Heart tier answers the question — “Why could this brand be for me” and is not just about Subaru’s durable, reliable and capable vehicles, it’s also about the love people have for the brand and how it enables them to lives their lives.

Heart TV Spots
Welcome Party
Subaru owners are individualists and yearn for richer experiences. Welcome
Party tells the story of four brothers that travel in their Subaru Outback
to the eastern most point in the U.S., every year, in order to be the
first ones to welcome in the New Year. It’s not an experience just anyone
or car could have, but it is one a Subaru makes possible.

Subaru Heaven
For Subaru owners their vehicle becomes a trusted friend. Rather then just
be sold off for scrap metal, Heaven shows how a Forester owner wants to
make sure his well-traveled Forester has a special final parking spot.
Followed by his friend in his new Forester, they make the journey to
Subaru Heaven; a final resting place (recycling and salvage yard) for
beloved old Subaru vehicles. Here the owner says goodbye to his old
Forester, and drives away in his newly-redesigned Forester as he starts
the next chapter of his life.

Priorities
Life is about making time for things that matter. A busy father caught up
with multitasking at home takes a step back from work life to notice his
son playing with a toy airplane and sees the opportunity to bond with his
son. A trip in their Subaru Tribeca takes them to an airfield where they
watch real airplanes flying overhead, giving his son a memorable
experience.

The Brain tier answers the question: “Why is this the right vehicle for me now?” This tier features specific models and shows the rational side of buying a car with the unique features and benefits that come with owning a Subaru.

Brain TV Spots
Not for Sale
Forester owners … are Forester owners. A couple decides to buy the
newly-redesigned Forester and make room for it in their lives, and garage.
Rather than sell their old Forester, they decide to sell their boat and
keep both Foresters.

Wash Me
Outback owners search for adventure and escape the everyday. Wash Me shows
an Outback owner traveling to remote deserted areas: Forest — Mt. Biking,
Beach — Surfing, Desert — Hiking. With his adventures has come dirt on
the Outback, which he showcases as badge of achievement. Each time the man
comes back to his vehicle there is no one around but the words “Wash Me”
have been written on the rear window. Puzzled, the man drives off. The
spot ends with a city shot of rain washing the dirt away; taking care of
the car as nature and man had intended.

The Fly Out
The Subaru Forester enables confidence and empowerment in questionable
conditions. A nature photographer travels to a remote, hard to reach, bird
refuge in her newly redesigned Forester to photograph Canadian Geese. The
seemly difficult trip over rough terrain is made easy with her newly-
redesigned Forester. As she is setting up for the perfect shot her camera
makes a noise startling hundreds of geese that fly away and leave a
“present” on the Forester. The woman doesn’t get the perfect shot, but has
an experience that is even better.

Parking Meter
Impreza owners have an unspoken bond. A Subaru Impreza owner walking back
to his car on a city street notices an Impreza WRX STI is about to get a
ticket from a meter maid for an expired parking meter. Respecting the STI,
he aspires to own one some day, he plugs the absent STI owner’s parking
meter before the meter maid can get to the Subaru vehicle and write the
ticket. Confused, the meter maid sees the man get into the other Impreza
and drive away.
The Wallet tier focuses on the financial and value aspects of buying a Subaru and allows for the inclusion of timely news and information and can be used for local dealer advertising.

[Source: Subaru]

One topic of debate that began raging after Toyota and Subaru officially announced their collaboration on a lightweight, rear-wheel-drive coupe was how the Toyobaru would be marketed, particularly with both brands getting their own models. Apparently, Subaru execs share our concerns.

Subaru has branded itself as the purveyor of competent, multi-purpose vehicles that begin and end with one distinct feature: all-wheel-drive. By adding another vehicle into its lineup lacking that core trait, Subaru risks diluting its hard-earned image, not to mention going toe-to-toe with the Toyota monolith by selling a badge-engineered variant.

Automotive News spoke with Fuji Heavy Industries overseas sales chief, Mat Nagato, who said, “We may lose our longstanding territory, or we may lose the great niche brand image. The potential risk is there. We have to be very smart on marketing strategy.” This issue has to be weighed against the short-term gain of a new, inexpensive model for enthusiasts and Subaru’s continued growth, but the simple solution would be to nix the Subaru version altogether, allow Toyota to brand the new coupe as its own and rake in the cash provided by the partnership. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen, so the only thing Subaru can do now is make an attempt to differentiate its own version from Toyota’s, while praying that consumers won’t forget what “Makes a Subaru a Subaru.”

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Last week’s announcement that Toyota wants to raise its stake in Subaru’s parent company Fuji Heavy Industries looked to have no down side. Subaru gets $300 million with which to build a new factory, Toyota gets greater access to FHI’s high tech batteries for hybrids, and both get to build the affordable RWD/AWD coupe that we’re all waiting for.

But the bean counters in Toyota City have noticed that Subaru’s kei car division spends a fortune on developing quirky micro cars such as the supercharged Vivio that Colin McRae campaigned in his first rally (above), the worlds smallest four-seat convertible (below) and the fabulous R2D2. The trouble is, profit margins on such marvels of engineering are wafer thin, and that is not the Toyota way. So, come the next decade, Subaru will only sell OEM kei cars made by another member of the Toyota family, Daihatsu.

Most analysts think this this is a good idea, but this one ain’t so sure. Eighteen years ago I bought a rear-engined rear-wheel-drive Subaru Sambar. It was such a hoot to drive that I traded up to a Rex, then an RX-R, then a WRX and I now drive a Forester STI. In all likelyhood, my next car will be an Impreza STI.

Will rebadged Daihatsus garner such brand loyalty from young buyers in 2010?

source:autoblog