Archive for the ‘Subaru’ Category
EV range of 17 miles per charge.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.21, 2018
Subaru's first plug-in hybrid, the Crosstrek PHEV, will make its debut next week.
Subaru is about to become the latest automaker to plug-in to battery power – quite literally, with its first-ever plug-in hybrid set to make its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show next week.
The Japanese carmaker will underplay the plug-in side of the drivetrain by calling its new model the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid – apparently lifting a page from Fiat Chrysler’s playbook, the Detroit automaker calling its own plug-in the Pacifica Hybrid.
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That said, the new version of the Subaru SUV will have the ability to travel about 17 miles in pure battery mode. That’s relatively modest compared to some current plug-in offerings, such as the Chevrolet Volt which gets three times the range, but it’s about what Toyota manages with its latest PHEV, the Prius Prime.
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Tags: 2018 la auto show, 2019 subaru crosstrek hybrid, LA Auto Show, auto news, car news, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, plug-in hybrids, subaru crosstrek hybrid, subaru la auto show, subaru news, subaru phev, subaru plug-in, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, Chevrolet, Electrified Vehicles, Environment, First Look, Fuel Economy, Hybrids, Los Angeles, Markets, SUVs, Safety, Safety, Sales, Subaru, Technology, Technology, Toyota, Trends, U.S./North America | Comments Off
Japanese maker struggling to get inspection issue resolved.
by Michael Strong on Nov.05, 2018
Subaru plants in Japan are still struggling with false inspections, which will impact its yearly earnings.
Subaru continues to struggle with recall issues, saying it would recall more vehicles sold in the Japanese market due to newly found instances of inspection cheating. Coupled with its recent engine recall and other actions and the company’s profits are expected to be cut by about 25%.
The company plans to recall about 100,000 vehicles, including its popular Impreza sedan, after it was found the final tests for components including brakes were not conducted properly. Vehicles sold overseas will not be affected.
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“It’s unforgivable that these inspection-related issues are continuing,” CEO Tomomi Nakamura said. According to Reuters, he repeatedly added he believed that the latest recall would be the last related to testing misconduct. (more…)
Tags: Subaru engine recall, Subaru inspection problem, Subaru inspection scandal, Subaru profit hit coming, Subaru recalls hurt profit forecast, TheDetroitBureau.com., auto news, michael strong, subaru news, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Asia Pacific, Automakers, Business, China, Earnings, Executives, Financials, Markets, Personalities, Sales, Subaru, Trends, U.S./North America | 1 Comment »
A valve spring is root of the problem.
by Michael Strong on Nov.02, 2018
The 2012 Subaru Impreza is part of a recall of 165,000 cars in the U.S. due to a problem that could cause the engine to stall.
Subaru and Toyota partnered up to build engines and now they are partnering on a recall of about 165,000 U.S. vehicles to resolve an issue causing those engines to potentially stall.
The action covers about 140,000 Subaru vehicles in the U.S. and about 25,000 of Toyota’s now-defunct Scion brand vehicles.
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“There is a very small possibility of a valve spring fracture in a very small number of affected vehicles, which could lead to engine noise, malfunction or, in a worst-case scenario, an engine stall,” Subaru said in a statement. (more…)
Tags: 165K engines recalled, Subaru Toyota recall, Subaru and Toyota recall 165K engines, Subaru recall, TheDetroitBureau.com., auto news, engine stall forces Subaru Toyota recall, michael strong, subaru news, thedetroitbureau, toyota news, toyota recall
Posted in Automobiles, Executives, Lawsuits/Legal, Markets, Personalities, Quality and Reliability, Recalls, Safety, Subaru, Toyota, U.S./North America | Comments Off
Sixteen auto brands make Top 100 — GM and FCA brands not on the list.
by Michael Strong on Oct.11, 2018
Toyota was the top automotive brand in this year's Best Global Brands Top 100 list, taking seventh overall.
A quick poll of people asking what automaker is the best might net several folks saying “Tesla!” and while it does have a massive market cap, they’d be wrong. The best brand? Toyota.
According to Interbrand’s 2018 Best Global Brands report, Apple was the top company on the list with a valuation of $214 billion. Toyota was seventh on the list at $53 billion, which was up 6% over last year’s result.
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Overall, 15 automotive brands made the Top 100 list and while there aren’t really any surprises about what ones are on the list, those that are not on the list may be reason to take pause. None of the General Motors brands made this year’s list. The aforementioned Tesla did not make the list either. Nor did any of Fiat Chrysler’s brands. (more…)
Tags: 16 auto brands make Top 100, 2018 Best Global Brands, GM brands not on brand list, TheDetroitBureau.com., Toyota top auto brand, auto news, automotive brands, interbrand, michael strong, thedetroitbureau, top 100 brands
Posted in Asia Pacific, Audi, Automakers, Automobiles, BMW, China, Europe, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Land Rover, Markets, Mercedes, Mini, NAFTA, Nissan, Porsche, Quality and Reliability, Safety, Sales, South America, Subaru, Technology, Toyota, Trends, U.S./North America, Volkswagen | Comments Off
Automaker continues to better this quirky classic crossover.
by Joseph Szczesny on Sep.26, 2018
The 2019 Subaru Forester continues the brand's leadership in the can-do crossover segment.
The variety of utility vehicles has exploded in recent years and appears certain to grow exponentially for foreseeable future.
Manufacturers are moving quickly to cash in on the consumer interest in vehicles that might not have a lot of charm or sex appeal but are practical for life in a world that has become much more complex.
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One of the automakers that has deftly capitalized on the trend, of course, is Subaru. Subaru sells interesting passenger cars and has built a strong reputation for building safe vehicles. But it is the strength of utility vehicle line that has helped the brand record, as of the end of August, 81 consecutive months of year-over-year sales increases. (more…)
Tags: 2019 Subaru Forester, Forester car review, Forester continues evolution, Subaru improves new Forester, TheDetroitBureau.com., auto news, first drive Subaru Forester, joseph szczesny, new Forester better than predecessor, new Subaru Forester, subaru news, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automakers, Crossovers/CUVs, First Drive, Markets, Reviews, Sales, Subaru, Trends, U.S./North America | Comments Off
New three-row ute pushing company toward another benchmark.
by Joseph Szczesny on Sep.21, 2018
Subaru is set to set a seventh consecutive annual sales record due to the new Ascent.
Subaru is confident it can lock in its seventh consecutive year of sales gains thanks to promising launch of the Ascent, a three-row sport-utility vehicle that has emerged as the Japanese automaker’s flagship since its debut earlier this summer.
Dominic Infante, Subaru’s director of communication, noted during a presentation in North Carolina for the first drive of the 2019 Subaru Forester, which is due in showrooms that through August, Subaru has posted 81 consecutive months of sales gains.
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The Ascent has been a great success out of the gate, Infante noted. Subaru hasn’t been able to build them fast enough to satisfy demand. The Ascent is built at the Subaru assembly plant in Indiana and Infante said that Subaru has only 12 days of Ascent inventory in the hands of dealers. (more…)
Tags: Subaru annual sales record, Subaru set for sales record, Subaru three-rows SUV, TheDetroitBureau.com., auto news, joseph szczesny, new Subaru sales mark, subaru ascent, subaru news, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automakers, Business, Markets, Monthly Results, SUVs, Sales, Sales, Subaru, Trends, U.S./North America | Comments Off
Systems improve for third consecutive year.
by Michael Strong on Sep.14, 2018
The Ford Mustang earned the highest score in J.D. Power's 2018 Multimedia Quality and Satisfaction Study.
If you own a car built in the last decade, you’ve been there. You attempt to make a call using the hands-free system – regardless of the manufacturer – and you get a list of people the nice lady in the dashboard would like you to choose from and none of the options are the one you want.
It’s this kind of technology that is both enticing and enraging all at the same time and is most often the target of complaints by new vehicle owners. However, the folks at J.D. Power claim the user experience is getting better.
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According to the J.D. Power 2018 Multimedia Quality and Satisfaction Study, the number of reported problems with in-car audio, communication, entertainment and navigation technologies has decreased for a third consecutive year, with several technology standouts emerging among manufacturers. (more…)
Tags: Ford Mustang tops infotainment study, J.D. Power news, J.D. Power study, TheDetroitBureau.com., auto news, infotainment technology improving, michael strong, new Power infotainment system study, new vehicle infotainment, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Acura, Automakers, Automobiles, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Genesis, Hyundai, Infotainment, Kia, Lincoln, Markets, Mazda, Mercedes, Nissan, Porsche, Sales, Subaru, Technology, Trends, U.S./North America | Comments Off
Rising interest rates pushing buyers toward leases.
by Michael Strong on Sep.14, 2018
Zero-percent financing deals are increasingly difficult to find these days, pushing some into leasing.
Car shoppers are always looking for a deal, and often they’re excited by the prospect of zero percent financing; however, those deals are getting tougher and tougher to find.
The percentage of sales with zero percent finance deals has been cut in half in the last two years — dropping from 14.6% of transactions in August of 2016, to 10.4% last August to just 7.4% this August, according to Edmunds.
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This drop during the last three Augusts sparks interest because zero percent financing deals usually abound in August and September.
“August truly represents the month that we would have expected to see a turnaround in this trend if one was imminent,” said Jeremy Acevedo, Edmunds’ manager of industry analysis. “Moving forward, shoppers will likely need to do a bit more digging to find other ways to save on a new vehicle because it looks like zero percent finance deals are going the way of the dodo.”
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Tags: Edmunds zero-percent financing, TheDetroitBureau.com., U.S. News best deals, auto news, best September deals, leasing new vehicles, michael strong, thedetroitbureau, zero-percent deals waning, zero-percent financing
Posted in Automakers, Automobiles, Business, Dodge, Events, Financing, Hyundai, Jaguar, Leasing, Markets, Mazda, Mercedes, Sales, Sales, Sports Cars, Subaru, Trends, U.S./North America | Comments Off
Overall, consumers slightly happier with ownership experience.
by Michael Strong on Aug.30, 2018
Volvo tied with Lexus for the top brand honors in the latest ACSI survey, receiving its highest score ever.
Vehicle owners in the U.S. are slightly happier with their ownership experience this year than last year, according to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index.
The index, which is the result of surveys of car owners on their overall service and product experience with specific auto brands, creates a score between 1 to 100. According to the latest edition, the industry-wide score for 2018 is 82, up from 81 in 2017.
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“Car owners are often highly satisfied—they’ve kicked the tires enough times that they’re happy with their decision when they buy,” said David VanAmburg, managing director at ACSI. (more…)
Tags: 2018 ACSI, 2018 American Consumer Satisfaction Index, Chrysler lowest ranked brand, TheDetroitBureau.com., Volvo and Lexus top auto brands, auto brand rankings, auto news, favorite auto brand rankings, michael strong, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Acura, Audi, Automakers, Automobiles, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, FCA, Fiat, Ford, GM, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jeep, Lexus, Lincoln, Markets, Mazda, Mercedes, Mini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Quality and Reliability, Ram, Safety, Sales, Subaru, Toyota, Trends, U.S./North America, Volkswagen, Volvo | Comments Off
One option would be to go with a car-based package.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Aug.01, 2018
The Ford Courier pickup shared platforms with the automaker's Fiesta subcompact.
Several sources are reporting that Ford Motor Co., long reluctant to undercut its full-size F-Series pickup family, could soon have small trucks in its line-up, with a model even smaller than the upcoming Ranger to follow by as early as 2022.
Exactly what it would look like and where it would fit into the spectrum isn’t clear but Automobile magazine’s sources suggested Ford might be looking at a product like the old Courier pickup built in Brazil that was based on the same platform as the prior-generation Fiesta subcompact.
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Whether there’d be a market for something the size of the old Ford Courier is far from certain, though several automakers appear to be looking at their options, notably including Hyundai which has been slowly moving forward with a production version of the well-received Santa Cruz concept first shown at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2015.
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Tags: auto news, car news, chevrolet news, compact pickup, ford courier, ford f-150, ford f-series, ford news, ford pickup, ford ranger, full size pickup, gmc news, honda news, midsize pickup, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, subaru news, thedetroitbureau, truck
Posted in Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, Business, Chevrolet, Detroit, Earnings, Financials, Ford, GMC, Honda, Markets, Pickups, Ram, Sales, Subaru, U.S./North America | Comments Off
