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Subaru Fast Facts
The badge
Subarus distinctive badge an oval shape with a blue background, on which there are six stars originates from the star cluster Pleiades, otherwise translated into Japanese as Subaru. The large star is said to be that of Fuji Heavy Industries, while the five smaller stars represent the smaller companies it presides over. Subaru was chosen as the name by FHI CEO Kenji Kata, as he had liked it as a child.
Subaru Badge
The owners
Subarus ownership is currently in a state of flux. Although Fuji Heavy Industries which founded it back in the 1950s continues to control Subaru, they have embarked on a number of partnerships recently. Nissan were the first to be involved, back in 1968, when it took a 20 per cent stake. Having been a rather dormant partner for some time, Nissans alliance with Renault saw the stake sold to General Motors in 1999. During that time, GM struggled to know what to do with Subaru, resulting in a rushed arranged marriage with Saab that ended after just one model. Toyota have since assumed that stake and are now working with Subaru on future models, including a new sports car.
The engineering
Badge engineering has been apparent in Subarus history. The current Justy is their version of the Daihatsu Sirion, while previous generations of the car were based on the Suzuki Ignis and the Suzuki Swift. In Japan, Subaru sold the Traviq, a re-badged Vauxhall Zafira, while Saab sold the 9-2X in the USA, which was an Impreza hatchback with a revised front-end.
Subaru use a Boxer configuration for most of their models engines. Although complicated, Subaru have mastered the technique over the years as it provides greater balance, runs freely and does not suffer from as much vibration. Currently, all Subaru vehicles with the exception of the Justy come with a Boxer engine.
Impreza Boxor 2.0L Engine
Having been one of the last to commit to using a diesel engine due to the fact that they are not so popular in Japan and the US, Subaru nonetheless made their first foray into the market in 2008. Although tempted by using a unit from another manufacturer, Subaru have nonetheless become the first manufacturer to develop a common-rail turbodiesel boxer engine. Currently only available as a 2.0-litre, the engine has been widely praised in the press.
Another quirk Subaru have adopted is that nearly all of their models offer all-wheel drive. With the Legacy and Impreza models first utilising this, Subaru made it customary for most of their models from 1996. The Justy supermini which is based on the Daihatsu Sirion is their only front-wheel drive model on sale.
Subaru were universally criticised with the design of the second-generation Impreza in 2001, complete with its controversial bug-eyed headlights. A more conventional looking replacement was rushed out in 2003.
The racing
Subarus time in rallying has made them one of the sports most successful marques. They made their full debut in 1990 in conjunction with Prodrive, a relationship that remains in place today. Initially competing with the Legacy, Subaru switched to the Impreza in 1994 and won both the driver and manufacturer championships in 1995 with Colin McRae. Two more manufacturer titles in 1996 and 1997 followed, while Richard Burns and Petter Solberg delivered driver titles in 2001 and 2003. In all, they have won 47 rallies.
Subaru have a longer history in motorsport than many realise theyve competed in Formula 1, albeit not for long. Developing unique Boxer configured V12 engines for the Coloni team, the Subaru Coloni C3B was, however, an unmitigated disaster. Too heavy and underpowered, Coloni and Subaru failed to make a single start in 1990, leading to an early divorce as Subaru sought its fortune in rallying.
The badge
Subarus distinctive badge an oval shape with a blue background, on which there are six stars originates from the star cluster Pleiades, otherwise translated into Japanese as Subaru. The large star is said to be that of Fuji Heavy Industries, while the five smaller stars represent the smaller companies it presides over. Subaru was chosen as the name by FHI CEO Kenji Kata, as he had liked it as a child.
Subaru Badge
The owners
Subarus ownership is currently in a state of flux. Although Fuji Heavy Industries which founded it back in the 1950s continues to control Subaru, they have embarked on a number of partnerships recently. Nissan were the first to be involved, back in 1968, when it took a 20 per cent stake. Having been a rather dormant partner for some time, Nissans alliance with Renault saw the stake sold to General Motors in 1999. During that time, GM struggled to know what to do with Subaru, resulting in a rushed arranged marriage with Saab that ended after just one model. Toyota have since assumed that stake and are now working with Subaru on future models, including a new sports car.
The engineering
Badge engineering has been apparent in Subarus history. The current Justy is their version of the Daihatsu Sirion, while previous generations of the car were based on the Suzuki Ignis and the Suzuki Swift. In Japan, Subaru sold the Traviq, a re-badged Vauxhall Zafira, while Saab sold the 9-2X in the USA, which was an Impreza hatchback with a revised front-end.
Subaru use a Boxer configuration for most of their models engines. Although complicated, Subaru have mastered the technique over the years as it provides greater balance, runs freely and does not suffer from as much vibration. Currently, all Subaru vehicles with the exception of the Justy come with a Boxer engine.
Impreza Boxor 2.0L Engine
Having been one of the last to commit to using a diesel engine due to the fact that they are not so popular in Japan and the US, Subaru nonetheless made their first foray into the market in 2008. Although tempted by using a unit from another manufacturer, Subaru have nonetheless become the first manufacturer to develop a common-rail turbodiesel boxer engine. Currently only available as a 2.0-litre, the engine has been widely praised in the press.
Another quirk Subaru have adopted is that nearly all of their models offer all-wheel drive. With the Legacy and Impreza models first utilising this, Subaru made it customary for most of their models from 1996. The Justy supermini which is based on the Daihatsu Sirion is their only front-wheel drive model on sale.
Subaru were universally criticised with the design of the second-generation Impreza in 2001, complete with its controversial bug-eyed headlights. A more conventional looking replacement was rushed out in 2003.
The racing
Subarus time in rallying has made them one of the sports most successful marques. They made their full debut in 1990 in conjunction with Prodrive, a relationship that remains in place today. Initially competing with the Legacy, Subaru switched to the Impreza in 1994 and won both the driver and manufacturer championships in 1995 with Colin McRae. Two more manufacturer titles in 1996 and 1997 followed, while Richard Burns and Petter Solberg delivered driver titles in 2001 and 2003. In all, they have won 47 rallies.
Subaru have a longer history in motorsport than many realise theyve competed in Formula 1, albeit not for long. Developing unique Boxer configured V12 engines for the Coloni team, the Subaru Coloni C3B was, however, an unmitigated disaster. Too heavy and underpowered, Coloni and Subaru failed to make a single start in 1990, leading to an early divorce as Subaru sought its fortune in rallying.
