This is a manufacturer with a mythical name, which This year marks 70 years: Subaru! Its history begins in 1953. Fuji Heavy Industries, a Japanese conglomerate of companies with very different business sectors, wants to break into the automotive industry. That year, its founder created a division and gave it a name dear to his heart: Subaru, the Japanese translation of the constellation Pleiades. Our friend is really into astronomy!

It comes out a year later the very first model of the brand: 1500, a small 4-door sedan. What is unusual is that the engine (48 or 55 horsepower 1.5-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine) was developed in-house, and not from a competing manufacturer. Only about twenty examples of 1,500 will be produced that year… The real boom came in 1958, when the 360 ​​appeared. It is a mini city car inspired by European creations: in particular the Renault 4CV and the Fiat 500. It maximizes interior space, under a loose dress and a cute face.

The first serial all-wheel drive

192,000 copies of the 360 ​​will leave the networks over the course of thirteen years, which will allow to propel Subaru to the coveted rank of mass-produced automakers ! The following years made it possible to diversify the product portfolio. Sambar utility company appears in 1961, the 1000 family sedan in 1966 (the first true Japanese front-wheel drive). 1968 R-2 city car. But it was in the 1970s that the Subaru name would go down in history. The Japanese manufacturer was the first in the world to develop a serial car equipped with 4×4 all-wheel drive. Leone 4WD station wagon, released in 1972. Over time, the brand will expand its models in several market segments. Pickup Brother of 1978minibus Domingo in 1983. city ​​car Justin in 1984and a coupe Alikon in 1985 and 1989 Legacy road sedan.

From Impreza WRX to Solterra

However, there is a model that is inseparable from the history of Subaru: the Impreza. The successor to the Leone, this family sedan arrived in 1992, but there’s nothing really sporty or sexy about it. This is without counting on him muscular and sporty version of the WRX (World Rallye Experimental)which opens Subaru’s doors to the World Rally Championship (WRC). Won six times (1995-2003), The Impreza WRX is available in a road version, and that’s it allows the brand to make a name and popularity in Europe.

Since then, Subaru has always been sold here, although its European model range has softened a bit. In France, the catalog is on the brand offers the Impreza and its XV crossover, the Outback wagon and the Forester SUV. Most recently, the brand was launched together with us its first 100% electric model: the Solterra crossover, which is already available for order. So, Subaru’s history spanned seven decades dotted with models, innovations, victories. Although somewhat overshadowed by its compatriots Toyota, Nissan, Suzuki and Honda in France, it is still very much alive. Happy Birthday Subaru!

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