Detroit, Michigan — Subaru didn’t have any flashy new concept to showcase this year at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. There wasn’t any new production model with wonderful virtues, either. But there were numbers, tons of numbers!
Mat Nagato, Executive Vice President of Fuji Heavy Industry (FHI), Subaru’s parent company, candidly listed all the sales records set by the Japanese brand in most of its markets.
Success at Subaru is undeniable, as evidenced by an unprecedented 16-percent increase in Canadian sales in 2009 compared to the previous year. In Australia, it’s 3.9 percent and in China, a whopping 86 percent!
More than a touch of green
In his speech, Mr. Nagato seized every opportunity to mention the operative word at this year’s show — ‘green’. In fact, we could say without any hesitation that the NAIAS has never been greener. The 5,000+ journalists on hand were treated to an impressive number of new hybrid and electric car launches.
FHI strategists chose Detroit for the North American debut of the Hybrid Tourer Concept, which was originally unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show this past October. They used it as a background for their press conference, a wise decision considering the forward-thinking design of the vehicle and the talk of a possible production variant in the not-so-distant future.
In this context, Mr. Nagato reminded everyone in attendance about some of FHI’s latest initiatives to come to market with more fuel-efficient products, such as the introduction of its first in-house diesel engine two years ago, the small-scale release of the R1e electric car in Japan and the announcement of the upcoming Stella plug-in hybrid in production trim.
Echoes in the U.S.
Tom Doll, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Subaru of America, Inc., also came to the microphone and threw even more sales figures at the crowd.
First, he proudly announced that U.S. sales were up 15 percent in 2009, totaling 216,652 units. Then, he simply said "5." That’s because Subaru is the only car brand whose entire lineup has received a 5-star safety rating from the IIHS.
No one could argue with him when he finished his speech by stating that Subaru is in excellent position for a repeat in 2010.
You might want to brace yourself for another avalanche of numbers at the 2011 Detroit show!
photo:NAIAS, Subaru
Mat Nagato, Executive Vice President of Fuji Heavy Industry (FHI), Subaru’s parent company, candidly listed all the sales records set by the Japanese brand in most of its markets.
Success at Subaru is undeniable, as evidenced by an unprecedented 16-percent increase in Canadian sales in 2009 compared to the previous year. In Australia, it’s 3.9 percent and in China, a whopping 86 percent!
 |
| Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, Subaru of America Inc. |
More than a touch of green
In his speech, Mr. Nagato seized every opportunity to mention the operative word at this year’s show — ‘green’. In fact, we could say without any hesitation that the NAIAS has never been greener. The 5,000+ journalists on hand were treated to an impressive number of new hybrid and electric car launches.
FHI strategists chose Detroit for the North American debut of the Hybrid Tourer Concept, which was originally unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show this past October. They used it as a background for their press conference, a wise decision considering the forward-thinking design of the vehicle and the talk of a possible production variant in the not-so-distant future.
In this context, Mr. Nagato reminded everyone in attendance about some of FHI’s latest initiatives to come to market with more fuel-efficient products, such as the introduction of its first in-house diesel engine two years ago, the small-scale release of the R1e electric car in Japan and the announcement of the upcoming Stella plug-in hybrid in production trim.
Echoes in the U.S.
Tom Doll, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Subaru of America, Inc., also came to the microphone and threw even more sales figures at the crowd.
First, he proudly announced that U.S. sales were up 15 percent in 2009, totaling 216,652 units. Then, he simply said "5." That’s because Subaru is the only car brand whose entire lineup has received a 5-star safety rating from the IIHS.
No one could argue with him when he finished his speech by stating that Subaru is in excellent position for a repeat in 2010.
You might want to brace yourself for another avalanche of numbers at the 2011 Detroit show!
 |
| Subaru Stella |
photo:NAIAS, Subaru