Subaru October Sales

[DukeTrout]

Edit: sorry for the dissertation, I just started writing down my thoughts and couldn't stop myself. That is all.

 

A company like Subaru with a strong international brand behind them can survive in the US with niche marketing (I hope so, I work for such a company...). The problem is, they need focused niche marketing. SOA seems to scattered in its marketing effort. They're all over the map. The brand this lack of focus has hurt the most is the Legacy. Subaru has done a good job branding itself with AWD, reliability and value. They've used that to brand the Outback and Tribeca, to various degrees of success. They've used a more grass-roots approach to brand the street cred of the WRX and STi with import enthusiasts. STi is probably Subaru's most recognized brand in the US. What is missing to get brand recognition for the Legacy? A flagship car to establish the Legacy as a class-leading sports-sedan. I love my spec.B, but that ain't it. Even if they don't want to dilute the STi brand by attaching it to a Legacy, they should at least show off what the platform is capable of by bringing a truly serious performance sedan to the US. I don't think a 3.0 H6 turbo is as trivial an effort as people think for a production car. But they certainly could tune the 2.5 turbo up to STi power, maybe more with built internals and a twin-scroll turbo more in line with the smoother power delivery desired in a Legacy. Bring more suspension improvements and better brakes. Keep VDC and add DCCD. Give it some wider wheels, maybe BBS, and some subtle exterior cues to differentiate it from the other Legacy models. Otherwise, the spec.B is in pretty good shape. Bells and whistles are over-rated. Don't try to keep up with Audi/BMW/MB/Infinity/Lexus on gadgets. Keep it a driver-centric car and keep the weight down.

 

It would be a very unexpected move in the industry for Subaru to come to market with a 300+ hp, premium sports sedan. They could make one to out-handle and out-accelerate a 335i, S4, G35, IS350 and still undercut the competition's price. It wouldn't have the gadgets of those other cars, but they really are only to fill out spec sheets. The Legacy is already laid out as a driver's car - keep it simple and differentiate it by all the distractions it doesn't have.

 

Let the press tear it around some tracks - like Laguna Seca where the ICY/Phoenix team set a track record lap this year - and gush over how it is a better driver's car than the vaunted BMW, even if it lacks some amenities. That way, the Legacy will establish its own credibility with its own target market instead of having to borrow the Impreza's.

 

edit: Shoot, if they really wanted to keep the development costs down and improve the delivery time, not to mention augment their credibility with enthusiasts, they could partner with tuning companies like Cobb, AVO, AP, Mahle, etc. to deliver many of the upgrades, then slap a warranty on it under the auspices of SPT.

 

To be honest, a lot of us who currently have LGTs wouldn't be able to afford the car. That's ok, we would WANT the car, and get an LGT that fit within our means, much like the NASIOC guys get a WRX when they really want an STi. The important thing about it would be the awareness it would generate of Subaru in the Legacy class, which is virtually zero as things stand. They've got a great car that almost no one knows about.

 

Your little hotrod sedan would no longer be mistaken for a Camry.

[stewartg]

What is this Legacy you speak of? I like my Subaru Camry spec.TRD.

[Notafanboy]

STi is probably Subaru's most recognized brand in the US.

 

 

I suspect that 99.99% of the American car buying public has no idea what STi means. I also suspect that adding a STi badge to the Legacy will have very little impact on sales.

 

Many of the people on this board seem to believe that a higher performance model is the answer slow Legacy sales. The LGT, in stock form, already out performs just about everything in its class. It is also safe, reliable, decently equipped, and can be bought for well under MSRP. The looks, while not cutting edge, are not offensive. It still does not sell well.

 

The lack of advertisement may be having an impact on sales to the general public. The same argument can not be made about the “enthusiast” crowd. The car has been reviewed in magazines, TV shows, and online. It generally gets good reviews for its performance. An “enthusiast” would have to have his/her buried in the sand to not be aware of Legacy. It still does not sell well.

 

I am not trying to flame this car. If Subaru decides to once again offer a wagon, in a decent color, I would buy one. All I am saying is that a higher performance Legacy is likely not the answer to this model’s problems.

[Lost Horizon]

....

 

Many of the people on this board seem to believe that a higher performance model is the answer slow Legacy sales. The LGT, in stock form, already out performs just about everything in its class. It is also safe, reliable, decently equipped, and can be bought for well under MSRP. The looks, while not cutting edge, are not offensive. It still does not sell well.

 

The lack of advertisement may be having an impact on sales to the general public. The same argument can not be made about the “enthusiast” crowd. The car has been reviewed in magazines, TV shows, and online. It generally gets good reviews for its performance. An “enthusiast” would have to have his/her buried in the sand to not be aware of Legacy. It still does not sell well.

 

I am not trying to flame this car. If Subaru decides to once again offer a wagon, in a decent color, I would buy one. All I am saying is that a higher performance Legacy is likely not the answer to this model’s problems.

 

As one of those who walked out of the cold into a Subaru for the first time after many, many years with many, many cars, performance and otherwise (I'm 60 now), the motivation for this change of heart came because of the deal and the the cdn dollar x-border. Not encouraging from that perspective.

 

Once in the thing, I was more than surprised at what it offers and how well it behaves, and how good it looks. I will buy again, but thru a different lens now. I'm pretty sure I represent the unwashed masses in this story.

 

If I was to offer advice, I'd say it's technology, although proven and reliable, is getting (ahem) "Legacy". Compared to my BMW which has a primary Fiber Optic Ring Loop and associated integration to manage the many modules and integration reliably, direct high pressure injection producing a lean running , high compression turbo charged efficient powerplant with bleeding edge (sometimes troublesome and expensive as a result) technology every where you look, Subaru could use a facelift and makeover to the middle ground to help get noticed and to move up the dance card.

 

Since getting the car, a number of people have come up to my wife singing their personal testimonial praises of their third or fourth Subaru, many with hundreds of thousands of klicks, with unabashed loyalty like a zealot Mac User. So it appears that the car has a loyal following sewn up in spades.

 

That said, imo, you just need to get them in the door once. Things that do that for me are styling, relevant models, keeping pace with the technological pack, some well placed advertising, and one show stopper model that no regular soul can afford, but all can Walter Middy.. The company needs to get a bit more adventuresome and risk something, even failure in some quadrant. That's just an ordinary fact of life in everything, including Poker, if you want to stay in the game.

[stewartg]

Subaru FTW, Mac fan boys FTL.

[Guest Gitster]