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Subaru is America's third most off-roaded brand

When you think of iconic off-road brands, where does Subaru fall on your radar? Somewhere in the middle? Perhaps near the bottom? Don't worry, you're not alone. Until recently spending some time in Bend, OR, where we drove the all-new 2015 Subaru Outback, we never really pegged the Japanese automaker to be a highly lauded brand among off-road enthusiasts, despite many of the company's products actually being quite capable when the going gets rough.
But the data says we're wrong. According to a 2013 J.D. Power study, Subaru vehicles have some of the highest use off road compared to other brands - of course "off road" here just means anything not on a paved road, so even gravel trails and tame two-tracks count in these statistics. Nearly 29.5 percent of its cars are used on trails and dirt roads, with only the Ram and Jeep brands besting that statistic, at 30.2 and 31.0 percent, respectively. Said another way, Subaru sold 424,683 vehicles in the US in 2013, meaning that some 125,281 saw off-road use. Mainstream brands like GMC, Ford and Chevrolet all trail Subaru, and even Land Rover comes in at less than 20 percent.
Some 34.7 percent of Outbacks are taken off paved roads, according to J.D. Power data.

Racey Subaru BRZ spied on New York Auto Show floor [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Subaru had the same BRZ out on the show stand this morning, so we added a full gallery. Turns out the car is called Subaru STI Performance Concept... full info available later this afternoon. Subaru is doing something very interesting with the BRZ at the New York Auto Show. Unfortunately, actual details about it are nonexistent at this point, but a user with the screenname The359 posted these two photos from the floor of the event on the FT86 Club forums, by way of an Instagram page. This BRZ appears to get a pretty thorough makeover with big, L-shaped LED running lights on the edges of the more aggressive front air dam, widened fenders and a rather nicely integrated hood bulge, which suggests the possibility of a more powerful engine underneath. The profile photo provides an even better look at the body kit, and it's practically impossible to miss the massive wing at the back that should keep the coupe sticking to the ground. In all, it bears a striking resemblance to the Subaru BRZ Concept STI that was shown at Los Angeles way back in 2011. It's not currently clear whether this is just a high performance concept to tease us, or the more powerful BRZ that many people are looking for. Regardless, the car definitely piques our interest. Related Video:

Subaru Indiana plant to stop building Toyota Camry

Subaru may be set to end production of the Toyota Camry at its Lafayette, IN facility by 2017, according to a report from the Louisville Journal-Courier and a CBS affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina. Speaking to the plant's Executive Vice President Tom Easterday, the whole affair sounds like a done deal.
"Based on changes in Toyota's production plans, they have decided that the award-winning Camry production contract will not be renewed," Easterday said. Easterday was quick to emphasize that just because Camry production would end, doesn't mean jobs will be lost. "There will be no loss of jobs at SIA as a result of this," he said, before adding that the loss of Camry production will have no impact Subaru's $400 million investment to ready the plant for Impreza production in 2016. That said, adding a promised 900 jobs may take longer than originally planned, as Camry production staff are set to be retrained on Subaru production.
SIA currently has the capacity to produce 100,000 Camrys per year, and began production of the family sedan in 2007 alongside production of the Subaru Outback, Legacy and eventually, the soon-to-be-discontinued Tribeca.