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2015 Subaru Outback

"We like producing cars that are different." That's the company line trumpeted by several Subaru executives during the launch of the 2015 Outback - one of Fuji Heavy's most successful vehicles to date. Managing Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski accurately noted that while Subaru has never really found salvation with its mainstream sedans, it's the higher-riding, butcher offerings like the Outback and the Impreza-based XV Crosstrek that have been sales stars for the Japanese company. In 2013, for example, Subaru sold nearly three Outbacks for every Legacy it moved. And in 2014, the XV is on pace to outsell the Impreza upon which its based.
But Subarus have always been different, catering to unique customers that desire something a bit more special than your run-of-the-mill sedan or crossover. It's clearly worked, with Subaru having posted 30 months of year-over-year sales increases as of this writing. And even as the automaker's portfolio goes more mainstream, smoothing out its serially awkward styling and gunning for a larger market share here in the United States, that intrinsic Subaru differentiation is still baked in to each and every product.
It's that new Outback we're here to talk about today, a vehicle that's been comprehensively redesigned for the 2015 model year while not shaking up the formula that's made it successful since its inception in the mid-1990s, back when it (arguably) launched what we now know as the crossover utility vehicle segment. It's still plenty different - and plenty good, too.

Forgotten 1990s Subaru showroom is still full of new ghost Imprezas

Every now and then, stories and photos surface of car dealerships simply forgotten by time. Sometimes it's due to the dealer in question ceasing trading, for one reason or another, sometimes it's because of political tensions in the area — like with the Cypriot Toyota dealership which still has 1970s J-tin laying dormant, ravaged by opportunistic parts hunters. Years ago, photos appeared of a complete, 150-car, zero-miles Chrysler Neon shipment in Singapore. And no matter what the backstory, it's always fascinating to see completely everyday cars remaining undriven for decades, as if they were frozen in time while the world revolved around them. How about these as-new, unregistered, first generation Subaru Imprezas? Somewhere on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean, as reported by CarsAddition.com, there's a forgotten Subaru dealership with new mid-1990s stock still on the showroom floor. Judging by the unpainted bumpers and steel wheels, the right-hand-drive cars on display are absolute base spec, with likely the 90-horsepower 1.6 flat-four powering just their front wheels. They are almost all white, which adds to the appliance appearance. A couple Justy 4WD hatchbacks keep the Impreza saloons and wagons company, along with some Kei car vans and pickups. But the star of the showroom is the still-dazzling, late-'80s XT Turbo 4WD coupe, which has probably had been there originally to draw attention. It still does, and it's likely barely used. There are Subaru posters on the walls, all faded to blue, depicting Subaru's rally program and Leone/Loyale models which were originally replaced by the rounder Impreza in 1992. It's likely that all other base-model, first-generation Imprezas ever made have faced a quarter of a century of careless use, dents and rust. They were no fancier than a similarly priced Corolla, and it's unlikely any others have been preserved in a condition anywhere near these. Were the dealership owner ever to sell these, they would need complete overhauling after sitting for 25 years with their factory liquids and lubricants, but something tells me they won't leave the place anytime soon. It's unclear what the story behind this seemingly forgotten dealership is. CarsAddiction.com, the source for these photos, says it's probably due to a competing Maltese Subaru dealer upstaging this one, and the cars' era places them in the time of the 1990s economic downturn, which might have thrown a spanner in the works for this "Fuji" dealer.

Honda, Subaru airlifting parts to bypass port labor diputes

It should be abundantly obvious that a vital element in building cars is actually having the components on hand to assemble them. A labor dispute on the West Coast between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and management is not making that quite so easy for some Japanese automakers. Work slowdowns at the ports have pushed Honda and Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries into flying some parts into the country. The two automakers began shipping by airplane late last month to avoid production delays, according to Bloomberg, but it has been an expensive solution. Subaru's chief financial officer said the decision cost around $60 million more per month than sending components by cargo ship. They aren't the only companies dealing with the problem, either. Toyota reportedly stopped overtime assembly at some of its factories here because of the delays in getting parts, according to Bloomberg. The dockworkers have been negotiating on a new contract since May 2014, and the current offer on the table to them has offered a 3 percent raise, according to Bloomberg. Although, the union is reportedly considering another slowdown at 29 ports along the West Coast in the coming days. News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Nick Ut / AP Photo Auto News UAW/Unions Honda Subaru Toyota shipping port labor dispute