Subaru in Brazil

[slissner]

I just spent two weeks in and around Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and saw not a single Subaru. We rented three Hertz cars, all of which had five-speed manual transmissions: a Toyota Corolla, which Hertz classifies as an "exec limo"; a Fiat Palio 1.4 flexfuel, which failed; and a VW Polo 1.6 flexfuel, which we thought a better car than the other two. Most of the cars in Rio are very small VW, Renault, Citroen, Peugeot or Fiat models that aren't sold in the USA. Japanese cars are less common. Korean cars are very rare. Audi A4 and BMW 3-series are for the affluent. My Subaru 2007 spec.B seemed so smooth, powerful, and luxurious to me after driving those three cars in Brazil, but the spec.B's clutch seemed trucklike to me after two weeks of my driving cars with tiny engines and light clutches. My wife's 2007 Subaru LL Bean Outback seems positively sybaritic.

[Jon in CT]

You should have checked out http://www.subaru.com.br/ and gone to a dealer for a Legacy 3.0 sedan test drive.

[slissner]

Thanks for the info. I'll try to visit a dealer on my next trip. In Brazil, a six-cylinder, 3.0L car is very expensive, akin to a BMW 535i in the USA. Most Brazilians drive four-cylinder, 1500cc or smaller, class-A or class-B cars. A Legacy 3.0R would only be a dream. A knowledgeable Brazilian friend told me that Subarus are not only expensive, but costly to maintain. Brazilian prices are two or three times the USA domestic price and Brasileiros earn a lot less than American doing the same work. An Apple iPod in Brazil costs US$1000. So, Subaru is marketing to the upper middle class.

[frank112916]

Thanks for the info. I'll try to visit a dealer on my next trip. In Brazil, a six-cylinder, 3.0L car is very expensive, akin to a BMW 535i in the USA. Most Brazilians drive four-cylinder, 1500cc or smaller, class-A or class-B cars. A Legacy 3.0R would only be a dream. A knowledgeable Brazilian friend told me that Subarus are not only expensive, but costly to maintain. Brazilian prices are two or three times the USA domestic price and Brasileiros earn a lot less than American doing the same work. An Apple iPod in Brazil costs US$1000. So, Subaru is marketing to the upper middle class.

 

 

That's impossible for an iPod to cost 1000 USD. I think u mean it costs 1000 in Brazilian Real which is roughly 500 American. Even then it seems overpriced.

[slissner]

To an American visiting Brazil, Brazilian prices are indeed outrageous. Here's the price list for Apple in Brazil:

(http://latam.apple.com/pricelist/br/)

 

MA003E/A iPod 60GB White R$ 2.299,00

MA147E/A iPod 60GB Black R$ 2.299,00

 

R$1 = US$.50

 

It's easy to understand why an estimated two million Brazilians live in the USA illegally, however much they love their country. The prospect of a better future is hard to imagine in Brazil, but it's easy to embrace in the USA.

[SLegacy99]

That's impossible for an iPod to cost 1000 USD. I think u mean it costs 1000 in Brazilian Real which is roughly 500 American. Even then it seems overpriced.

 

Well the ipod integration adapter for my Alpine was $50. On a Ferrari it is a $900 option. What a world.

[frank112916]

Well the ipod integration adapter for my Alpine was $50. On a Ferrari it is a $900 option. What a world.

 

 

BUT IT'S A FERRARI ONE!

 

Chances are the adapter has a cool prancing horse on it, haha.