Subaru Targets Young Asian American Buyers with New Sweet Tomorrow Campaign

Subaru’s American division is taking audience segmentation a step further with the release of a new advertising campaign for the 2011 Legacy that specifically targets the Chinese-American market. The campaign has been produced in Cantonese, Mandarin and English, and can be seen across a wide variety of media placements including TV, print, online and out-of-home running.

The television spot is called “Sweet Tomorrow” and it shows a young Chinese American couple preparing for the birth of their first child. The advert is scheduled to air through October 2011.

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Subaru Revealed Behind 2011 Mediocrity Marketing Hoax; What do you Say Kia?

As some of you pointed out, Subaru was the culprit hiding behind the week-long 2011 Mediocrity campaign, which showed a beige-cladded first-generation Kia Optima in a scoop-like series of photos. Upon looking at the first set of images that arrived in our mailbox (read here), we knew that this was some sort of devious viral marketing campaign.

It is true that these type of campaigns can be rather cheap and yet extremely effective. However, they can also backfire. And in our opinion, that's the case with Subaru's effort to promote / convince us that the latest Legacy is the opposite of the so-called 'beige' mid-size sedans.

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Subaru Announces First All-New Boxer Engines in 21 Years

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), Subaru's parent company, has released details on its third-generation four-cylinder boxer engine that will be available in 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter displacements. This is the first overall renewal since the second generation was introduced in 1989. The horizontally opposed flat 4 has been a mainstay of Subaru's Impreza, Forrester and Legacy models for some time.

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Subaru to Update its Lineup to help welcome the Toyobaru Coupe into the fold

Besides adding its upcoming unnamed coupe to the lineup, Subaru will be working to get a little pep back in its step by bringing out some new designs over the next few years. What can we expect from the all-wheel drive anti-SUV brand? Autoweek had an interesting article charting the upcoming changes in Subaru's lineup.

Starting with the chunky-monkey Legacy and Outback models that are relatively new, the only update to be expected is a mild refresh/facelift coming in the next three or four years.

Hopefully Subaru will decide on a corporate face that doesn't look like 'meh' and throw it on those two, because right now they're as beige as a Camry. I mean, if Volvo and Audi could make their crossover cars (the Cross Country and Allroad) look cool, why can't Subaru?

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Another Safety Recall for 2010/2011 Subaru Legacy and Outback

Following two previous recalls on unrelated issues in May and June, Subaru has announced a third recall on its new Legacy sedan and Outback vehicles. July's [...] recall affects a total of 809 of its 2010-2011MY Legacy and Outback models manufactured from April 28 through June 23, 2010, because an oil lubrication hole was not drilled on the 6-speed manual transmission.

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Subaru Issues Another Recall for 2010 Legacy Sedan and Outback Models

Many owners of the 2010 Subaru Legacy sedan and Outback will soon receive a second recall notification for their cars in a period of a little over two months. In May, the Japanese company recalled both models over a problem with the continuously variable transmission (CVT). This latest recall concerns a "defect in the steering roll connector".

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New JDM Subaru Legacy B4 2.5GT tS [as in Tuned by STI]

Subaru's in-house tuning arm STI has added some flair to the latest generation of the Japanese market Legacy B4 sedan and its Touring Wagon brethren. The limited production Legacy 2.5GT tS (Subaru talk for Tuned by STI) models come with various cosmetic and performance enhancements, but unfortunately, no upgrades to the 2.5-liter flat-four turbo engine.

The list of performance goodies includes a Bilstein suspension, strut tow bars, sport exhaust system, and 18-inch multispoke alloy wheels shod in 225/45 R18 rubber.

On the outside, STI's team added a front lip spoiler on both models, along with a discreet boot lid spoiler for the B4 sedan and a roof spoiler for the Touring Wagon.

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Subaru Issues Safety Recall for 2010 Legacy and Outback Models

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a recall for the 2010 model year Subaru Legacy sedans and Outback crossovers equipped with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The recall affects a total of 29,443 vehicles in the States.

Subaru said in statement that there's a possibility a crack or split can occur in the CVT cooler hose resulting in a fluid leak. According to the Japanese maker, "if the fluid is completely leaked during driving, the vehicle will come to a stop, possibly resulting in a crash."

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Minor Updates for 2011 Subaru Legacy Sedan and Outback

The 2011 model year brings some subtle equipment updates and a modest price increase for Subaru's Legacy sedan and Outback.

Both vehicles receive equipment enhancements including manual-folding exterior mirrors, while Premium and Limited models equipped with Harman/Kardon audio now feature XM Satellite Radio and a three-month trial subscription. There are also new available colors for both cars.

Prices for all Legacy models aside from the Limited trim versions remain unchanged for the 2011MY, and range from $19,995 for the base 2.5 to $24,995 for the 3.6R.

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Subaru to Start Selling Cars in South Korea

Even though Kia and Hyundai are present in most countries around the world, you'll be surprised of the number of automakers that are absent from the South Korean market for one reason (import taxes) or another (legislation).

Subaru is one of them, but that's going to change soon as the Japanese automaker announced today that it is joining Toyota in South Korea's recovering market for imported cars. The company said that that sales of Subaru-brand vehicles will start from April in the country working through its local distributor, Subaru Korea Co., Ltd.

The automaker's range will initially comprise of the Legacy, Outback and Forester. Unfortunately for Subaru fans in South Korea, the Impreza series, and by that, we actually mean the WRX and STI, won't be offered.

Subaru's newly formed Korean division said that it has set an initial sales target of a mere 600 units in the first year but aims to increase that number to 3,000 units by 2015.

The company stated that it is the process of developing its own dealer network and is planning to open Subaru outlets first in Seoul and Pusan and then to other metropolitan areas in South Korea.