The Demo Site

Subaru Legacy Concept

The official unveiling doesn't take place until later this afternoon, but Subaru has already released the details on the Legacy Concept it's introducing this year at Detroit. We only have the head-on shot at the moment, but what you're seeing here is likely the new face of the Legacy, complete with funky-shaped headlamp lenses and a trapezoidal theme to the prow. According to Subaru's, that paint color is called "Ultimate Silver" and the overall design theme is "High Definition," for what that's worth. Power comes from the automaker's 3.6L six-cylinder boxer mated, of course, to an AWD system.

Inside, you'll find a technology carnival, with a multitude of displays available to the four occupants, including the driver. The instrument panel gets a multifunction touchscreen display instead of a traditional center control stack -- no mechanical controls are present -- and those teensy side mirrors house cameras that display the view aft on the widescreen rearview "mirror" in the cabin. Rear passengers get their headrest-mounted LCD screens and their own touchscreen control interface. Outside of the obvious show-car tech, the shapes you see inside are likely what to expect when the production car makes its eventual debut.

[Source: Subaru]

Click above to watch video after the jump

Dec 2 , 2008 - Australia - The new generation Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive Subaru Forester has been voted Best Compact SUV in the Carsales Network People's Choice Awards.

Carsales.com Ltd says the awards are the only ones in Australia determined by car buyers themselves.

Votes are collected from the Carsales Network's websites including CarPoint.com.au and Redbook.com.au.
From November 1, 2007 to October 31, 2008, every time a Carsales Network user placed an enquiry to purchase on one of the sites, it counted as a vote in the awards.

New generation Forester is a best seller for Subaru since its launch in March.

It has become the first Subaru to enter the list of Australia's top 10 best-selling cars and for the past four months has been the best-selling Compact SUV.

In line with the entire new Subaru range, Forester shares a five-star crashworthiness rating for occupant safety from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). It also has a three-star pedestrian rating – the highest in its class.

Forester remains one of Australia's most awarded vehicles, since its launch in 1997, when it pioneered the compact SUV class.

The Carsales award is the latest in a string of recent international accolades for new generation Forester.

In October Forester was named 2009 Sport/Utility of the Year by one of America's most respected automotive publications, MOTOR TREND.

Also in October, Forester was selected by the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) as the year's best SUV/CUV in the under-35,000 Canadian dollars category.

Last week, four Subaru models, including Forester, were named 2009 Top Safety Picks by the United States Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The Subaru Legacy, known in Australia as Liberty (Legacy), received a mid-size sedan award, Impreza a small car title, Tribeca a mid-size SUV award and Forester a small SUV title.

Nick Senior, Managing Director, Subaru Australia, said: "New generation Forester is being recognized internationally for its versatility, functionality and value.

"It's great to get an award delivered by people who are thoroughly researching their purchases and are obviously impressed by Forester's credentials.

"This is demonstrated by its significant sales success in Australia, which is reflected by the number of people seeking information about Forester variants on the Carsales network of websites."

2009 Subaru Forester- Hi-res. Images

Tokyo, December 17, 2008 – Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the maker of Subaru automobiles, today announced that it will give a world premiere to the LEGACY CONCEPT at the 2009 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, which will open its doors to the public from January 17 through 25, 2009 (press days on January 11 through 13).

Celebrating 20 years of the Legacy sedan, the LEGACY CONCEPT is a concept model to showcase the direction of future Legacy sedan design. The exterior highlights the sportiness and dynamism befitting a car powered by 3.6-liter, low center of gravity Horizontally-Opposed engine. A distinctive front face and flared wheel arches speak to the presence of the car and the reliability promised by the symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system. The interior embodies high definition with a feeling of comfort.

Subaru Legacy series was first introduced into the world in 1989 and next year it will celebrate its 20th anniversary of the start of production. Produced in Gunma, Japan and Lafayette, Indiana USA, Global production has exceeded 3.6 million units* and production in North America accounts for 43%. The model has been highly acclaimed as a core product of Subaru world-wide due to its excellent driving performance, strong safety record and the dependability provided by Subaru's renowned Symmetrical AWD system with Horizontally-Opposed engine.

*As of November 2008



About Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.
Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the maker of Subaru automobiles, is a leading manufacturer in Japan with a long history of technological innovations that dates back to its origin as an aircraft company. While the automotive business is a main business pillar, FHI's Aerospace, Industrial Products and Eco Technologies divisions offer a diverse range of products from general-purpose engines, power generators, and sanitation trucks to small airplanes, crucial components for passenger aircrafts, and wind-powered electricity generating systems. Recognized internationally for its AWD (all-wheel drive) technology and Horizontally-Opposed engines in Subaru, FHI is also spearheading the development of environmentally friendly products and is committed to contributing to global environmental preservation.

The rumors of the sports car that Toyota and Subaru were working on have been replaced by rumors that the car has been put on hold. Earlier news had posited a rear-wheel-drive sports car with "wonderful style," based on the current Subaru Legacy platform, with a boxer engine putting out around 200 hp through a six-speed manual. Originally due in 2011, now, according to Nikkei, the car has been pushed back to at least 2012. If things get worse before they get better, we have a feeling that 2012 will also come and go without Toyota fielding another dedicated sports car entrant. So move along, folks, there's nothing to see here, please return to your Camrys and cue up Queen: another one bites the dust...

[Source: Bloomberg]

Looks like Volvo's not the only automaker teasing the next-gen version of its midsize sedan in Detroit next month. The Subaru Legacy Concept celebrates the model's 20th anniversary and forecasts the styling we should probably expect to see when the current model heads to the retirement home. Hence, those stacked headlights and the new, chunkier-looking grille design are things we should all probably start getting used to. As for those muscular fender flares and the aggressive lower fascia, well, we'll cross our fingers. Consider our interest piqued. Plenty more to come when we get to Detroit. Now, if only they'd bring back that Legacy Wagon, too....

[Source: Subaru]

Rally fans who were troubled by the rumors yesterday that Subaru was preparing to do the unthinkable and scrap its WRC team will be disappointed to learn that the speculation has proven to be true, as parent company Fuji Heavy Industries has announced it is pulling its participation effective immediately.

Not unlike its fellow Japanese automaker Honda, which has canceled its Formula One program, Fuji Heavy points to cost-cutting measures amidst the current global economic crisis as its reason for canceling its motorsport program. Still, it's a shocking move for the automaker that earned its reputation on the rally circuit, even if they haven't won a single stage since 2005. The move also means that Prodrive, the racing consultancy firm that has operated the Subaru WRC team for over 20 years, will need to find a new partner for next season and beyond as the WRC moves ahead with new regulations. But Prodrive may find the rally circuit a lonely place after Suzuki also canceled its participation, leaving Ford and Citroen as the only manufacturers fielding factory teams in the top level of rallying. Follow the jump for the official press release.