Subaru Cars For Sale In United Kingdom

Show search form Subaru-Fuji Industries Ltd., a Japanese company specializing in passenger cars and trucks, is involved in the aircraft industry and manufactures industrial equipment. The headquarters is located in Tokyo.

In 1956, Fuji founded a subsidiary of Subaru, which originally produced Rabbit mopeds. Two years later, the company released the Minicar 360, which was larger than the name might suggest. At first, sales of the Subaru 360 were rather low, but after two years of this showspruce has grown dramatically, and Subaru has become the leading car maker of this class in the country.

In 1960, in parallel with the 360-cc model, the production of the 450-series (in Japan it was called the Maja) began, equipped with a 423-cc engine. cm and a power of 23 hp.

In the 60s, the 360th model continued to be continuously improved: in 1961, the engine power increased to 18 hp, and the speed - up to 90 km / h; three years later, the 360 DeLuxe / Custom version with a 20-horsepower engine debuted, which in 1969 was replaced by the new generation Subaru 360, known as the R-2, with a 25 "losh engine.dock ". At the same time, the production of the most charged modification of the" popular "Subaru - Sport 360, which developed, thanks to the power of 36 hp, a speed of about 120 km / h, began. automakers, who by the mid-70s overtook not only American brands in this indicator, and caught up with West German ones).

In 1965, the company's production program was supplemented by a completely new model 1000, which became the first production car in Japan with front drive wheels.

In 1969-the car with a liter engine underwent modernization, after which it received the designation FF. It was with this model, which later received the name Leone, that the successful offensive of the Hiroshima company to foreign markets began. In July 1972, Subaru launched two models - the front-wheel drive Leone 1400 FD and the all-wheel drive Leone 1400 4WD. This event became a significant milestone in the history of the brand.

A completely independent development of the company - the front-wheel drive model FE - appeared on the market in 1968. In the same year, the company became part of the Nissan corporation (Nissan ") although it remained an independent trademark. The company's assembly plants were established outside Japan, in particular in New Zealand and Thailand.

In July 1972, the Subaru R-2 was replaced by the Rex model with a two-cylinder 356-cc water-cooled engine. August 1981 saw the premiere of the second generation Rex (3- and 5-door front-wheel drive hatchbacks). At the 1983 Tokyo Motor Show, the family was expanded with an all-wheel drive version of the Rex 4WD.

After Leone was shown outside of Japan in 1974, the real buzz began.m of sales. In two years, 100,000 Leone were sold, of which 30,000 went to the States. It was from this time that cars with all drive wheels became Subaru's specialty.

After 15 years of steady growth, by the mid-1980s, Subaru's annual production was close to 250,000 vehicles, of which 53% were exported. The company managed to achieve unconditional recognition in the American market, and the USA became the main importer of the brand: America's share was 58.1%!

Meanwhile, the range of Leone bodies was expanding, and in addition to the sedan, it appeared atniversal, coupe and even a pickup truck named Brat.

In the fall of 1984, the Leone version goes on sale - the 1800 4WD model with a completely new look and a 90-horsepower engine. The buyer was offered three body types - a sedan and a five-door station wagon in normal (Station) and "luxury" (Super Station) configurations.

In the eighties, Subaru had several series of cars in its range: a completely updated Rex, a new slightly larger Justy, a flagship Leone / 1800 and a very original Domingo / Libero minibus, naturally also with four-wheel drive. Since 1982, compan enginesand began to be equipped with a turbocharger. In 1984, the all-wheel drive Justy received an electronically controlled V-belt ECVT variator. The model is available in three- and five-door versions. The car has good traction and is equipped with a power steering.

The XT Turbo luxury sports car, formally related to the 1800 series, but, nevertheless, outwardly radically different from its counterparts, stood apart. At home in Japan, the HT was sold under the Alcyone brand.

In 1987, the veteran Leone was replaced by the newest Legacy. Whoat the time, the Hiroshima company abandoned the switchable rear-wheel drive and completely switched to 4WD. The novelty was presented at the Chicago International Auto Show.

The 1989 Tokyo Motor Show revealed another Subaru novelty to the world: the SVX GT sports car. This highly glazed four-wheel drive sports coupe was powered by a 3.3-liter six-cylinder boxer engine with 250 hp. The car reaches a top speed of 230 km / h and accelerates from standstill to 100 km / h in 8.7 seconds. In modernIn the new version, the roof of the SVX is painted in the body color.

The Libero cannot be categorized in any way due to its tiny size. The car is designed for 6 passengers or 600 kg and can be successfully used for family walks outside the city.

In 1990, a new name appeared in the company's range - Vivio. A purely urban car of an especially small class had an engine of only 658 cc. and was equipped with the already well-proven ECVT variator. The all-wheel drive super-Vivio accelerated to 100 km / h in 5.4 seconds. At the base of this rabid kid wasa rally car was prepared, on which the pilot Colin McRae successfully performed at the "Rally Safari".

Since 1992, Subaru has been offering on the market a novelty called the Impreza, one of the most legendary and renowned for its participation in rally competitions. Suffice it to say that in the world rally championship Subaru has won five individual and three team victories. The all-wheel-drive Impreza with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine has become a reference for other automakers to emulate. The Impreza is based on a shortened Legacy platform. ModelIt is produced with a four-door sedan, a five-door hatchback and a two-door coupe. In 2000, the Impreza received a special award for "Excellent Vehicle Concept and Technical Features" at the 2000/2001 Car of the Year competition in Japan.

In 1994, a new generation Legacy appeared. Soon, on its basis, the company's engineers created, one might say, a revolutionary novelty. Of course, it was the Outback, which opened a new class of cars, passenger sports station wagons with the capabilities of an SUV. Then there will be Audi Allroad and Volvo V70XC, but Outback,at least in the 90s, was the first.

In the wake of the success, the Forester was developed in 1997, another Subaru novelty outside of the traditional automotive typology. In September 1997 it was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The car is equipped with a two-liter boxer engine with 122 hp. and a five-speed gearbox and is a cross-country vehicle

Among the latest innovations of the company, one can name the Subaru HM-01 concept, created based on the company's first car, the 360, which was put into production in yeslecom 1958. This mikrash has a combined power plant - the front wheels are driven by a tiny 658 cc gasoline engine. cm, aggregated with an i-CVT variator, and the rear wheels are driven by a 5 kW electric motor. And at the 2002 Detroit Salon, a Subaru Baja pickup, based on the well-known Outback, was shown.

At the beginning of the XXI century, the total production of Subaru cars approached half a million. In addition to the production of hi-tech cars, the Fuji Heavy Industries concern is engaged in other activities: from metallurgyand machine-tool construction - to the production of components for jet liners and spaceships.

List of the Subaru models