2010 Subaru Forrester Sage Green on 2040-cars

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Is your new-car warranty good at the race track?

We've all heard the horror stories. Your buddy knows a girl that was dating a guy whose best friend's brother once broke his brand-new, recently purchased performance car while making runs at a drag strip or laps at a track day, and the manufacturer wouldn't cover the repair under warranty. True story? Urban legend? Complete crap? Yes, no, maybe. One thing's for sure: Automotive warranties have always come with caveats. In 1908, an ad in the Trenton Evening Times clearly stated: "All Ford Cars Guaranteed for One Year." Although it changed over time, by 1925 the Ford New Car Guarantee only covered 90 days on material and 30 days on labor, and it clearly stated that that there was "No guarantee whatever on Fan Belts, Glass, Bulbs, Wiring, Transmission, Bands, Hose Connections, Commutator Shells, Rollers, Spark Plugs or Gaskets." Whether or not Ol' Henry would pay to fix your Model T if you broke it shaving a tenth off your lap time at the local board track seems to be lost to history. We're guessing no. But what about today? Do new-car warranties in 2017 cover cars when they are driven on race tracks? We researched the warranties of 14 auto brands to find out, and the answer is yes, no, maybe, depending on the brand, in some cases the model, and whether or not your car is modified from stock. Acura has been out of the high-performance car game for a number of years, but jumps back into the party in 2017 with its hybrid-powered $173,000 NSX supercar. And Acura's warranty, as well as Honda's, clearly states that it does not cover "the use of the vehicle in competition or racing events." View 33 Photos So we asked Sage Marie, Senior Manager of Public Relations for Honda and Acura. "If the car is stock, the warranty covers it on a track just as it does on the street. No question," he told us. "However, if the car is modified, say with slick tires or other components that would put higher stresses on the vehicle's parts and systems, then we would have to investigate the circumstances further." Marie went on to say the same would be true for any Acura model or Honda vehicle, including the new 2017 Honda Civic Si. This became a common theme. Chevrolet actually started this practice with the fifth-generation Camaro on the high-performance ZL1 and Z/28 models.

Subaru forecasts 540k US sales in 2015, 940k worldwide

In the past few years, growth for Subaru in the US has only been rocketing upward. The company went from selling 336,441 cars in 2012 to 513,693 in 2014, easily beating its own forecast. In fact with a 21 percent gain, the region was the automaker's largest expanding major market worldwide. The brand sees no reason for the strong inertia to stop in 2015 and thinks it can do even better. It actually looks like North America is going to play an even more important role in Subaru's future. According to the company's 2015 forecast, Japanese sales are expected to fall eight percent this year to an estimated 156,000 units. Meanwhile, growth in the US is estimated to climb to the tune of about five percent to a total of 540,000 vehicles. Canada should help things with a seven percent boost to 45,000 cars. The numbers mean that of the automaker's record 940,000 forecasted sales in 2015, roughly 62 percent could come from North America. To cope with the growing demand, Subaru intends to boost worldwide production and build 920,000 vehicles in 2015, an all-time record of it happens. Further out, the company's SIA factory in Indiana is getting an 18,000-unit expansion "during the first half period of FYE2017" to keep up with Legacy and Outback orders. Clearly, Subaru intends to gain even more ground in the coming years. Read below for its full forecasts. FHI Announces Production and Retail Sales Plans for CY2015 Automobiles Jan 16,2015 Tokyo, January 16, 2015 - Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the manufacturer of Subaru automobiles, today announced its annual production and retail sales plans for calendar year 2015. 1.Production (Units in Thousands) 2014 Result '14 vs '13 2015 Plan '15 vs '14 Japan Production 696 +9% 700 +1% Overseas Production *1 193 +14% 220 +14% Global Production 889 +10% 920 +4% < Japan Production > In prospect of strong sales of the new Legacy and Outback being launched worldwide, Japan production is projected to be 700,000 units, which will be an all-time record for the 3rd consecutive year. < Overseas Production > With expected high demand for the new Legacy and Outback, overseas production is projected to be 220,000 units, which will be an all-time record for the 2nd consecutive year. < Global Production > Global production is projected to be 920,000 units which will be an all-time record for the 4th consecutive year. 2.

Subaru XV concept: Just more wishful thinking?

Subaru has long been criticized as being rather weak-kneed when it comes to styling. That's not entirely true. In recent years they have displayed some really attractive-to-stunning concepts. The last-generation Impreza concept was very attractive, as was the most recent Legacy concept. The WRX concept shown a couple of years ago was a visual knockout, and the same can be said for the most recent Impreza concepts—as well as this new XV (Crosstrek) concept. The problem has been much of the visual excitement of those concepts got lost in the translation from concept to production. So we know that Subaru has great design talent; the concepts have proven that. The problem, as I see it, is those in a position to approve design for production don't seem to understand design. Now I'm sure it's a lot more complicated than just that. It involves marketing folks, engineers, as well as those suits that call the shots at FHI. Many of those in decision-making positions just don't seem to get it. However I do have to say that each succeeding generation of Subaru has got better looking. So slowly (very slowly) they are making progress. The problem is, the competition has gotten better too — much better. Hyundai, Kia, Honda and Mazda have been hitting it out of the park when it comes to styling; all the while Subaru has been hitting solid singles along with a few walks. That said I do have a good feeling about this new XV concept. It really does look close to being production-ready. The proportions are right, there is nothing outrageous or impractical here. There are even small non-roll-down (visually distracting, but absolutely necessary) side windows, which I rarely if ever see on concepts. The proof will be in the pudding when the new Impreza debuts at the New York Auto Show later this month. Fingers crossed.