Category: Subaru

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Motorsports Subaru

Mark Higgins talks about Isle of Man tank slapper

Mark Higgins, Subaru WRX STi

A few weeks ago Mark Higgins set a new lap record for cars around the 37 mile (approx 60km) Isle of Man TT course. It’s a frightening stretch of road and Higgins averaged in excess of 180km/h in a US-spec Subaru WRX STi on his way to breaking the previous 21-year-old record. Higgins’ new mark is 19 minutes 37 seconds.

During one of his practice runs, with a motoring journo on board, Higgins had an almighty scare when he very nearly found himself facing a solid stone wall while travelling over 200km/h. To save the car from that moment is one of the better displays of driving you are likely to see. Subaru of America has released a new video with highlights of the record-breaking run and a short voiceover at the end where Higgins talks about his tank slapper.

It’s quite amazing to hear him explain his thoughts at a time when most of us would have run out of talent and, perhaps, much more.

[Source: YouTube]

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New vehicle sales report – March 2011

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March was another month without much fanfare as far as vehicle sales go. The official press release from FCAI is very matter of fact.

In real terms, though, the numbers don’t seem too bad. A total of 93,984 sales were registered, a drop of just under 1% compared to March 2010.

FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar seemed to dismiss the drop in sales by saying, “Notwithstanding slightly lower sales during the month, the demand for new vehicles is broadly consistent with other retail and consumer demand indicators.”

Toyota and Holden remain unchallenged in their respective one and two positions on the sales charts. While it is Ford’s turn to hold the number three mantle from Mazda.

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Motorsports Subaru Video

VIDEO: Don’t try this at home

Ouch!

Things didn’t go too well for Jimmy Keeney at the Global RallyCross Championships in California on the weekend. As you can see he made a bit of a hash of it. The accident happened after a jump, which seemed to go very well; until he landed.

The good news is that Keeney and his co-driver were unharmed. The Subaru WRX, on the other hand, suffered multiple cuts and abrasions. Keeney’s worst fears were confirmed when doctors advised the damage wouldn’t buff right out.

Check out video footage of the crash after the, erm, jump, I mean, break. Oh, that doesn’t work, either.

[Source: Autoblog]

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Accessories & Tech Safety Issues Subaru

Eye spy with my little cameras

Subaru Eyesight

Australia will be the first market outside Japan to receive Subaru’s EyeSight technology when it is introduced later this year. The system uses specially mounted cameras near the rear view mirror to monitor the road ahead for potential hazards.

Subaru Australia has been testing the EyeSight technology on local roads for around 12 months and CEO Nick Senior is keen to launch the system, “EyeSight has been a major success in Japan, where more than 50 per cent of Liberty models are now sold with the system.

“We will introduce EyeSight as a standard feature in some Liberty and Outback models later this year.”

Driver aids included in the EyeSight system consist of pre-crash braking, pre-crash brake assist, progressive start control, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, vehicle sway warning and progressive motion monitor. Sounds a bit of mouthful, really, so it might be worth reading the press release after the break for more detail.

Much of the technology is familiar to more expensive cars, but it’s good to see these systems finding their way into more affordable models.

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Holden Hyundai Subaru Toyota VFACTS reports

New vehicle sales report – February 2011

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You can tell it’s not been a great month for new vehicle sales when less than a handful of companies issue press releases. That’s certainly been the case with February’s sales, which fell 1.6% on 2010 numbers.

FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar is talking things up, though, claiming private buyers are out in force, “Sales to private customers increased 4.1 per cent during February to total 39,776 units—outselling business and fleet purchases. This is an encouraging indicator of the market and reflects a strong level of economic confidence.”

Toyota, Holden and Mazda retain their positions as the top three selling marques.

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Motor Shows Subaru

Geneva 2011: Subaru Impreza Concept

Subaru Impreza Concept

You may recall this Impreza Concept was first launched by Subaru at last year’s LA show. Not being a new release there’s been no fanfare from Subaru about this at Geneva. However, it’s good to see some images of the mostly attractive looking lines taken away from the benefits of studio lighting.

It’s the rear of this car that’s likely to cause the most anxiety to one’s eyes and, thankfully, from the angle shown below it doesn’t look too bad. It’s a forgiving perspective, though, so we’d still like to see more.

In recent years Subaru has seemed to lose its way with its exterior design, so are we seeing a resurgence from them now, or will this new Impreza be a one-off?

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Motor Shows Subaru

Geneva 2011: Subaru Boxer Sports Car

While Toyota is shouting from the roof tops at Geneva that it has shed beige for excitement with its “Toybaru” sports car, Subaru are remaining very coy.

So far we’ve come across just this one image and a press statement from Subaru UK. They do say their “BOXER Sports Car Architecture” is exciting, though.

Hopefully we’ll have more detail soon.

UPDATE: Subaru UK has added a new release to their list overnight. It still doesn’t give too much away, but there’s a bit more detail. The new image above looks pretty jazzy, I’m sure you’ll agree. You can see another pic and the new release below.

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Kia Mazda Subaru VFACTS reports

New vehicle sales report – January 2011

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The start of the new calendar year has seen a solid result in the new car market with 73,584 new vehicles finding homes. That’s a minor drop in sales of 1280 (1.7%) compared to January last year.

However, it is worth noting that sales in flood ravaged Queensland dropped by almost 2000 (12.8%) compared to the same month in 2010.

According to FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar, “New vehicle sales in Queensland have taken a hit as people concentrate on the flood recovery effort.

“We can expect sales in Queensland to be slower in the short-term but will pick up in the months ahead as people begin to look for replacement vehicles.”

Toyota, Holden and Mazda begin the year as the top three selling marques in Australia.

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New vehicle sales report – December 2010

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Congratulations Australia, for just the third time ever we have managed to send over 1 million new vehicles out the door. To be exact, 1,035,574 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles found new homes in 2010 and that represents an increase of almost 100,000 sales on 2009 figures.

“This is an exceptional outcome and is the second highest result on record and only the third time ever that the market exceeded more than one million sales,” FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar said.

“With continuing strong levels of vehicle affordability there is no reason why the new vehicle market won’t continue to perform better than other areas of the economy.”

Toyota was the highest selling marque in 2010, with 214,718 sales registered. Holden and Ford followed with 132,923 and 95,824 sales respectively.

Holden can claim still bragging rights, though, with the Commodore proving to be Australia’s most popular car for the fifteenth year in a row. Its 45,956 sales placed it ahead of the Toyota Corolla, on 41,632, and the Toyota Hilux, with an impressive 39,896 sales.

Meanwhile, a number of other marques are shouting from the rooftops about their new records set in 2010, including BMW, Hyundai, Mazda, Subaru, Suzuki and Volkswagen.

UPDATE 7 January: Audi, Kia and Mitsubishi have released their brag sheets today, too.

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Safety Issues Subaru

A different approach to the road safety message

Jake's $8000 Subaru WRX STi

Here in Australia we’ve had some pretty confronting advertising campaigns to tackle the issue of road safety. This is especially in regards to targeting the young male audience, where graphic accident recreations are usually the norm. In fact, last year marked 20 years since the Victorian Government’s Transport Accident Commission began its crusade.

Young males generally don’t like being told what to do and conventional advertising methods don’t always have the effect the creators are chasing. Over in New Zealand they have taken a different approach, with thanks to some excellent creative from Ogilvy. You can see the results after the break.

Warning: Offensive language is used in the video.

[Thanks to Michael for the tip]

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New vehicle sales report – November 2010

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VFACTS recorded a moderate increase in sales last month, up 1509 vehicles from November 2009. FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar reckons the motor industry is performing well compared to other industries, “These figures show new car sales continue to outperform other economic indicators, including retail spending and business investment.

“Much of the strength of the market can be attributed to the affordability of new vehicles, evidenced by the healthy sales to private buyers (up 9.6% in November).”

McKellar predicts Australia will register over 1 million new vehicle sales in 2010, if so it will be just the third time this has happened.

Toyota, Holden and Ford maintain their positions as the top three selling brands.

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Motor Shows Subaru

LA 2010: Subaru Impreza Concept

Subaru Impreza Concept

What’s this – has Subaru got its mojo back? You’re looking at a new Impreza Concept, which was revealed by Subaru overnight at the LA Auto Show. As you can see it’s nowhere near as bad as you might think. Recent designs from Subaru have been, well, let’s be honest, pretty ugly, but this new direction could launch Subaru into new heights.

Okay, the details around the front grille are a little fussy. And it’s pretty clear Subaru just put a sheet of tracing paper over the Mazda 6 to create those chunky wheel arches. But, the general look is very successful. In side profile the car looks smart, sharp and very stylish. From the front three-quarter angle you see that strong shoulder line which gives the car a great presence.

Just don’t look at the back. No, really. Don’t.

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