EJ20H-TT Posted February 11, 2004 Share Posted February 11, 2004 TOKYO, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Japan's Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd <7270.T>, the maker of Subaru cars, kept its full-year revenue and profit forecasts unchanged on Tuesday, saying new models would help speed up sales in the final quarter. "The new Legacy car and minivehicle R2, launched last December, should contribute to sales (in the current quarter), so we are keeping our full-year consolidated sales forecast unchanged," it said in a statement. In November, the company, owned one-fifth by General Motors Corp (nyse: GM - news - people), slashed its group operating profit forecast for the year to March 31 to 53 billion yen, citing a brutal price war in the key U.S. market. That was 15 percent lower than its forecast in May and would represent a 22 percent fall from last year. By volume, it sold 166,000 vehicles in Japan during the nine months, compared with a forecast of 259,000 units for the full year, and 219,000 units overseas, against a full-year forecast of 300,000 cars. Analysts say Fuji Heavy's ability to emerge from the sales slump hinges on the performance of the remodelled flagship Legacy in the United States, where it goes on sale in June. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titsataki Posted February 11, 2004 Share Posted February 11, 2004 hmm.. any new car will help sales... Like what happened with the WRX. But the WRX is probably small potatos compared to the Legacy (lots more sales expected). So I am guessing that there is pressure to FHI to produce and start selling the car ASAP. We will see. Cheers Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBY Posted February 11, 2004 Share Posted February 11, 2004 I wonder how many Saab 9-2's they will sell in the US anually? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBE555 Posted February 11, 2004 Share Posted February 11, 2004 Probably not enough to be worried about. After all, they're still selling Saab/GM the car and Saab/GM resells it. Other than any potential warranty issues, it's actually a good thing, almost hands-off in a way, they don't have to speculate how many to make, GM just orders them so they sell them all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBY Posted February 11, 2004 Share Posted February 11, 2004 Quote from Subaru Media site: "Subaru Forester set an all-time record in 2003 with 59,761 units, up 11 percent from last year. Subaru Legacy recorded 79,839 unit sales, while Outback accounted for 54,930 units. Subaru Impreza recorded strong sales of 36,525 total units, while Baja set a best-ever total of 10,694 units for the year." It would be interesting to know what their margin is on each model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ20H-TT Posted February 11, 2004 Author Share Posted February 11, 2004 I suspect the Forrester would have the highest margins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titsataki Posted February 11, 2004 Share Posted February 11, 2004 Forrester/Outback I bet is their bread and butter money makers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorob Posted February 21, 2004 Share Posted February 21, 2004 SaabCarsUSA is planning on bringing 5000 9-2s for the first year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtguy Posted February 21, 2004 Share Posted February 21, 2004 [quote name='titsataki']Forrester/Outback I bet is their bread and butter money makers.[/quote] Yeh, mon. They are the most "universal" yet exclusive cars. They appeal to almost everyone, but are about the only way to get what they offer, though the Forester has more competition than the Outback. The Legacy isn't going to be a WRX. Keep in mind that the WRX was the only car of its kind. If you wanted it, there was no other place to get it. This, and fashion, accounted for its stunning sales success. Notice how it isn't generating those same dazzling numbers. Some of that is saturation. Some is the redesign, which of consequence, narrowed the car's demographic appeal to a younger customer. Some of it IS fashion...sporty cars tend to have a two to three-year shelf life. The Legacy, on the other hand, isn't the only car of its kind. It should offer exceptional performance and value alongside first-rate styling, and will have to make it on those qualities, but in the mid-size, sporty sedan market, there are a LOT of choices. So it will do well, but it won't blow up like the WRX did upon its introduction. The WRX was a cult car that people were waiting for. Subaru did it right by calling the car "WRX" instead of "Impreza WRX," which would have linked it to the existing Impreza, rather than supplying the idea of "all new, all fast, just for you!" :lol: The Outback is still about the only car of its kind. If you want one...you want one. Audi tried to do the Outback thing with the Allroad, but think about how many Allroads you see, as opposed to Outbacks. That "tall wagon" segment is about to become a hotbed of activity, as the SUV backlash begins to gain momentum in a year or two. Already, Hummer is hurting, big time, as H2 sales are in the toilet, right before the introduction of the pickup version of the H2. The Outback is an exceptional car, and a great value when you stay clear of the LL Bean trim levels, which are overpriced, even for the performance that the new models will offer. It will do even better, and I think the Outback XT will be a stone-cold hit. Foresters will always do well for Subaru. Mommies talk, and I would bet that word of mouth sells as many Foresters as advertising. Notice how few Forester ads you see, vs how well the car sells. My dealer said that when the Forester was the only car to pass the 50 m.p.h. offset crash test with or without side air bags, he saw a crazy sales spike, and that 90% of those customers were women. It will be interesting to see how Subaru markets the Legacy. They can't even crow about the exclusivity of all wheel drive any longer. Volvo and BMW have it as does Infiniti. Lexus and Acura are getting it, and so on. So value, styling and performance, the same things that are attracting us, will have to help the Legacy get its head above water in a crowded sports sedan field. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evolutionmovement Posted February 21, 2004 Share Posted February 21, 2004 I was at the dealer a few years back where a woman was buying a new Forester for her daughter. She had had a 2nd gen Legacy and some drunk POS speeding the wrong way down the highway slammed her head on and spun off and hit a family in an Escort. The Escort-family all died, the girl was only bruised. The Legacy had taken the major hit and the engine had gone under the car in the collision and the mother was practically crying talking about how the car had saved her daughter's life. That's the kind of stuff that sells cars. She even said she'd gladly do an ad for Subaru about the story and I think that would've been a great idea. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPower Posted February 21, 2004 Share Posted February 21, 2004 The % increase of Legacy sales is going to be much greater than the % increase of Outback sales I'm guessing. I wouldn't say that the Outback is about the only car of its type though. Between regional differences of Subaru being more popular than others and the extra years of Outback production can really skew how popular or unpopular the "competition" is. The AllRoad and XC70 fit the bill very well for those that want/can spend the extra dough. BMW could have done a wagon version, but they figured that a more SUV shape X3 will sell better. Such a shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtguy Posted February 21, 2004 Share Posted February 21, 2004 I always forget about the XC. Didn't Audi discontinue the Allroad, though? Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPower Posted February 21, 2004 Share Posted February 21, 2004 Never heard that rumor. It's still in production and still on their website. Down where I am it is very popular- probably 10X Outback sales at the least. It's quite a machine with the 4.2L V8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtguy Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 [quote name='PPower']Never heard that rumor. It's still in production and still on their website. Down where I am it is very popular- probably 10X Outback sales at the least. It's quite a machine with the 4.2L V8.[/quote] Hmmm. I'm mistaken, then. Up here in Chicago, it's way the other way around. You see at least 10 Outbacks for every Allroad. Weird. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBE555 Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 I see quite a bit of Outbacks, but depending what area of the metro area I'm in, you can see quite a few Allroads. It's odd, I've been seeing more and more BE/BH Legacy GT's. I've been even seeing more BD/BG Legacys too. Rather odd if you ask me. And I think I see more GTs than LSE and L's. Used to be the other way around. The Outbacks are rather present though. I think the Legacy will really take an upturn in the 2nd half of the year when people start noticing them and advertising. Give it a few months to take hold. I think the OB will increase as well, initial interest I saw and heard in Chicago comparing it to their other cars appeared pretty good IMO. They definitely need that 7-pax to hit their sales goals though of 250,000 vehicles by 06. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ20H-TT Posted March 3, 2004 Author Share Posted March 3, 2004 Subaru Reports February Sales; Forester and Baja Sales Up From Previous Year Tuesday March 2, 2:54 pm ET CHERRY HILL, N.J., March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Subaru of America, Inc., the only car company that features Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive as standard equipment on every vehicle in its product line, today reported February sales of 13,544 units. Both Forester and Baja sales were up from the previous year. Subaru Forester posted 4,370 units, up 10 percent over last year. The Legacy model line posted 5,901 units, while the Subaru Outback recorded sales of 4,269 units for the month. The Impreza line recorded 2,529 unit sales, while Subaru Baja recorded sales of 744 units, up 3 percent for the month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtguy Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 How the heck did they find almost 6,000 suckers to pony up the dosh for a new Legacy? No offense to anyone, as it is a lovely car, but man, is it slow. It's also gotten a bit spendy, for what you get compared to what others offer. The new GT on the other hand... Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ20H-TT Posted March 3, 2004 Author Share Posted March 3, 2004 Yeah it bodes well the old legacy is selling well for the new one Perhaps big discounts on the old Leggy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtguy Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 [quote name='EJ20H-TT']Yeah it bodes well the old legacy is selling well for the new one Perhaps big discounts on the old Leggy[/quote] Subaru was dealing like crazy over here. Discounts, 0 percent financing and cash back...stuff like that. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBY Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 [quote name='gtguy'][quote name='EJ20H-TT']Yeah it bodes well the old legacy is selling well for the new one Perhaps big discounts on the old Leggy[/quote] Subaru was dealing like crazy over here. Discounts, 0 percent financing and cash back...stuff like that. Kevin[/quote] Your average man in the street probably hasn't heard of the New Legacy yet. Not everyone is a car nut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtguy Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 [quote name='Gumby'][quote name='gtguy'][quote name='EJ20H-TT']Yeah it bodes well the old legacy is selling well for the new one Perhaps big discounts on the old Leggy[/quote] Subaru was dealing like crazy over here. Discounts, 0 percent financing and cash back...stuff like that. Kevin[/quote] Your average man in the street probably hasn't heard of the New Legacy yet. Not everyone is a car nut.[/quote] No, I don't even mean in the context of the new Legacy. I mean in the context of what the current Legacy is, compared to other cars it is competing with in the here and now. It isn't much of a bargain, aside from the full-time AWD and Subaru reliability. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBY Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 [quote name='gtguy'][quote name='Gumby'][quote name='gtguy'][quote name='EJ20H-TT']Yeah it bodes well the old legacy is selling well for the new one Perhaps big discounts on the old Leggy[/quote] Subaru was dealing like crazy over here. Discounts, 0 percent financing and cash back...stuff like that. Kevin[/quote] Your average man in the street probably hasn't heard of the New Legacy yet. Not everyone is a car nut.[/quote] No, I don't even mean in the context of the new Legacy. I mean in the context of what the current Legacy is, compared to other cars it is competing with in the here and now. It isn't much of a bargain, aside from the full-time AWD and Subaru reliability. Kevin[/quote] I see what you mean but I'd still rather have the current Legacy over a Camry or Accord, bland, bland, bland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBE555 Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 Kevin, I know I've said that for a while, particularly with the GT, same almost everything as an L for the last 5 years, but just a few upgraded features on the inside, maybe a little taughter struts, some wheels and tires, a rear LSD, and that's about it on the outside. $25k for a sedan, $26k for a wagon with that. YEAH RIGHT! I say suckers! :lol: They're born every day, and one isn't me. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kage Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 That's 6000 people that are gonna be mighty pissed come May. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBY Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 [quote name='SUBE555']Kevin, I know I've said that for a while, particularly with the GT, same almost everything as an L for the last 5 years, but just a few upgraded features on the inside, maybe a little taughter struts, some wheels and tires, a rear LSD, and that's about it on the outside. $25k for a sedan, $26k for a wagon with that. YEAH RIGHT! I say suckers! :lol: They're born every day, and one isn't me. :D[/quote] Subie, Carsdirect has the sedan and wagon for $2k under MSRP and they still take a fee from the dealer so realistically $2.5 less is possible, it's still to much though. BTW, A friend of mine bought a base model Outback for a little over $20k - not a bad deal at that price point. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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