History
Subaru is actually a division of Fuji Heavy Industries. FHI is a Japanese conglomerate, involved in a variety of industries. FHI was founded in 1915, as an aircraft research lab, later becoming the Nakajima Aircraft Company in 1932. During the Second World War, Nakajima was the main supplier of aircraft for the Japanese military. After the war ended, the company was restructured into the Fuji Sangyo Company.
In 1946, Fuji Sangyo produced a motor scooter, dubbed the Rabbit, using aircraft parts that remaining from wartime production. Due to the Corporate Cred Rearrangement Act, created by the Japanese government in 1950, Fuji Sangyo had to be broken into a dozen smaller companies. Of these twelve companies, four merged back together between 1953 and 1955 forming Fuji Heavy Industries.
Soon after the creation of Fuji Heavy Industries, the CEO wanted to get into the car industry. The first car designed and produced by Fuji Heavy Industries was named the Subaru 1500. For more than fifty years, Fuji Heavy Industries continued to design new models, releasing their vehicles under the Subaru badge.
In 1968, another Japanese automobile maker, Nissan, purchased a 20% stake in Fuji Heavy Industries. This occurred during a government endorsed period of merging companies to increase competition. Both companies benefitted from the trade. Nissan began manufacturing a line of buses using designs from Fuji Heavy Industries, and almost all Subaru vehicles manufactured since 1968 include some parts manufactured by Nissan. This includes the automatic transmission used in most Subaru vehicles.
Major Events
In 1989, Subaru launched the Subaru Legacy (Liberty in Australia). The release of the Legacy would change the entire focus of the company moving forward. The release of the Legacy was in the works for a long time, as Subaru began expanding their line of vehicles in the late 1970s. The Subaru Legacy had more broad appeal than previous models released by Subaru.
To promote the Subaru Outback, FHI began a popular advertisement campaign in 1995, starring Paul Hogan of “Crocodile Dundee” fame. These advertisements would feature the Subaru Outback traversing the rugged terrain of the Australian Outback. This marketing campaign was used until 2000.
The new focus of releasing SUV vehicles helped FHI see expanding sales throughout the beginning of the new millennium. In 2009, Subaru was ranked in second place for vehicles with the highest overall resale value. Subaru was successfully targeting a broader market, including luxury car consumers.
In 2011, Subaru produced and released their own animated series called H?kago no Pleiades (Wish Upon a Pleiades). A children’s program, the series was made in four parts and released on February of 2011. This was a joint production between Subaru and the animation studio Gainax. The main character in the series is a girl named Subaru.
From 1995 to 1997, Subaru won the manufacturer’s title at the World Rally Championship. The Subaru Rally Team has been competing in Rally Championships since 1980. Modified versions of the Subaru Impreza have had success in the Rally circuit. In 1995, 2001, and 2003, the winners of the World Rally Championship drivers’ title were part of the Subaru World Rally Team.
Going Forward
Subaru is celebrating an all-time sales record in Australia and Canada at the start of 2014, as well as a milestone of 20 million units having been produced at their Japanese plant. Such milestones are just a sample of the brand’s greatness as it moves into the next lap of technology and automobile progression. The following list of technologies are some of the key areas where Subaru continues to expand and develop their expertise. Click on a technology to learn more:
SUBARU BOXER
Symmetrical AWD
SI-DRIVE
Lineartronic
Multi-mode DCCD
Vehicle Dynamics Control System
Suspension
Highly Rigid Body
Aerodynamics
Subaru Hybrid System
