Subaru XV News

Car manufacturers also dream of a new model going straight to the top of the segment in the first month. That dream is a reality for Subaru with its new XV selling 1005 in the first full month of sales, representing 20.46 per cent of the category or one in five. But the figures are not quite reflective of performance, because it is part of a new category in the official VFacts figures. The previous compact SUV category had ballooned to 27 models with sizes varying from the little Chery J11 to the Holden Captiva with one each from the US, UK, Thailand, France and Germany, two from the Czech republic, three from China, six from South Korea and the rest from Japan. Compact SUVs last year accounted for almost half of all SUV sales and 12 per cent of all new vehicle sales, increasing 5.8 per cent to 121,387 in 2011 while the whole market dropped 2.6 per cent to 1,008,437. The growing sub-compact SUVs now have their own segment called "SUV small under $40,000'' with just 11 models listed and the Mazda CX-5 entering this month for a round dozen models. Subaru Australia spokesman David Rowley says XV sales were going "through the roof''. "We'll await this month's results, but it's been very very strong,'' he says. Rowley says customer feedback shows a strong reaction to the styling and frugal economy of 7L/100km for the six-speed manual and 7.3L/100km for continuously variable transmission. "It's urban friendly while having that bit of go-anywhere ability as well, plus the feedback we are getting is that its fuel economy is quite a buying factor. From our point of view the early indications are that just as Forester and Outback pioneered new niches for us, this is heading in the same direction.'' Subaru's advertising has heavily featured the new orange (Tangerine Orange Pearl) paintwork, which Rowley says has been popular. "I've run a check with sales on XV colours and orange is presently running third to white and silver at just over 15 per cent, which is a healthy number," he says. Subaru is one of the few companies that does not charge extra for metallic or pearlescent paint. Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior says the XV appeals to people who enjoy "expansive lifestyles''. "People who are active and enjoy new experiences,'' he explains. "They don't want to drive a large SUV, instead they demand car like ride and handling, and convenient cutting edge technology, to enable a fast-paced, adventurous lifestyle with comfort. "XV is a clear indicator of what's to come from Subaru in terms of new technology and design, so it's fair to say we're very excited about our future.'' Rowley says that despite the strong level of buyer interest, the waiting list is short. "Sales tell me range-topping S variants in particular are in great demand and the network is working closely to meet demand, but we can meet for now, at least," he says.

Kids aren’t usually a factor in Car of the Year judging.  But child friendliness rates highly with women buying cars – and with women judging cars.The countdown has been kicked off to decide the Women’s World Car of the Year, and the kid factor is one the judges pay a lot of attention to.“Statistics show that women drive children in cars significantly more often than men – and that means women need to take that into account, both when buying and as judges of cars,” WCOTY president Sandy Myhre said from New Zealand.“Any woman who has grappled constantly with child seats and belts and children considers those things when looking at buying a car.  Men might too but the fact is, women drive children in cars more than men.“Women would not consider that aspect in a Porsche 911 more than a bloke. The point is, it can be considered in these awards - and that is one of the points of difference in these awards.”Myhre points out that significant research into buying habits show that in addition to buying for themselves, women have a major influence in household purchase decisions for big ticket items.Ford Australia, for example, says their research shows that women are behind the majority of purchases of the Territory SUV – either as single women buying one, or in influencing the joint decision with their partner. “A report from Mattingly & Associates in Australia concluded, in part, that businesses that didn't understand this influence would be hard-pressed to stay in business.  That report was aptly called 'When I've Made Up Our Minds',” Myhre says.However, the kid factor is just one of the criteria by which the 2012 Women’s World Car of the Year will be judged.There are four categories in the Women's World Car of the Year – Family Car, Luxury Car, Sports Car and Economy Car. Points are allocated to each of ten criteria: driveability, engineering, comfort, child friendliness, style, interior, storage, dashboard efficiency, carbon footprint and colour range.The 20 judges from eleven countries have submitted their own personal short list and more than 300 cars were suggested. These individual choices were then whittled down to form a master list of 32 in terms of popularity. Judges will now allocate points for these cars from a criteria list.The announcement of the winning cars in each category and the supreme winner will be made before the end of March. The supreme award trophy and category certificates will be presented to the car companies concerned at the Mondial de l’Automobile 2012 – the Paris Motor Show – in September. The supreme trophy will this year be made in The Netherlands. Category-winner certificates will be designed at Peartree Studios in Colerne, UK.The first winner of the Women's World Car of the Year was the Jaguar XF in 2010 and the trophy made in South Africa was presented at the Jaguar boutique showroom in Knightsbridge, London. In 2011 there was a dead-heat between the Citroen DS3 and the BMW 5 Series. The two trophies made in India were presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2011. 

The 100 per cent commitment to all-wheel drive started in a tent at Daring Harbour in 1997. A then nervous marketing manager, Nick Senior, had sweaty palms as he waited to tell the assembled Australian Subaru dealers the "bad news" that they were about to become an all-boxer-engine and all-wheel-drive company. At that time, 50 per cent of sales and two of the top three models were front-wheel-drive vehicles. "We were ready to duck for cover," Senior says. "Just as I got up to tell them the news a big southerly wind came through the tent and I thought the noise was someone shooting me." Senior had the idea to go all-AWD after the US made the decision 12 months earlier, but it was still going to be a radical hard-sell proposition for Australia. "The dealers had always struggled with sales people who tread the path of least resistance; that is, selling the cheaper front-wheel drive," he says. "Now we were taking that away from them." Senior didn't expect what happened next. "The dealers all applauded us," he says. "It was a unique selling proposition for them. No one at the time was selling all-wheel drive cars. "But we expected most of the market to be AWD by 2002 and we would just be a 'me too' brand. When Magna AWD came out we thought that was the start of the avalanche, but they still had front-wheel-drive models, so that's what they sold." Senior now looks back and feels vindicated by the decision. In 1996, Subaru sold 8500 vehicles. In 1997, that increased to 14,000 and 20,000 the following year. "We halved the number of top-selling models, but we more than doubled the sales in a couple of years," he says. Understandably Senior sticks by his decision and emphatically rejects any suggestion they will add front-wheel drives to their fleet. "Now there are more and more luxury and performance brands with AWD," he says. "All-wheel drive is not just about safety, it's also about fun."

It has a giant job, firstly in drawing newbies to the brand and secondly as one of the three legs of Subaru's new global small-car attack. The Subaru XV comes to Australia first, but will soon be followed by an all- new Impreza and then by a WRX that moves much further away from its humble small-car roots. It must also win buyers to a baby SUV category that's in its infancy in Australia, just as the Forester did. "We are creating a category killer with the XV," says Nick Senior, managing director of Subaru Australia. It blends all the key elements of what a small car can do with some of the great charcter of an SUV. It's got increased ground clearance and improved visibility, but it's a great drive." Senior recognises the importance of the car and says it's a crucial car for the company's future growth and customer base. "I think it's very important. It's not only important but a big opportunity," he says. "It's ground breaking and in the SUV segment it will be like the OUtback and Forester." Senior describes the XV as a morph job on a variety of existing classes. "It's a hatch or sedan for small-car buyers, but with the ingredients of SUVs. It's got the versatility to deliver lifestyle choices. It's got the lowest centre of gravity of any of its competitors but also the highest ground clearance." But he distances Australia from Subaru's three-pronged small-car push.  "I see it more as a three-SUV strategy. We've got the XV to appeal to singles and younger couples, the Forester is more for families and people with a few kids, then we've got the Outback. I think it's more about covering the bases in the SUV category." Apart from the XV, the biggest Subaru arrival for 2012 is the new Impreza. "We are now literally trickling cars into dealers in the next few weeks but major stocks don't arrive until March," Senior says. "The new Impreza and SV are important to get us back to our rightful place in Australia, which is not 34,000 cars a year but 40,000. That's ambitious but what we'd like to achieve this year."

At the close of 2011, the Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV-4 were separated by just 17 sales with Nissan X-Trail in third, just 1000-odd vehicles behind on 12,089. Forester has taken the title for the four years, but Subaru is not the biggest brand in the category with just the one model. That title goes to Nissan with its X-Trail and Dualis selling 21,303, followed by Subaru's Forester and Outback on 18,912 and Mitsubishi's ASX and Outlander on 14,029. The inclusion of XV, targeted at a younger market, should lead to a battle for category dominance between Subaru and Mazda with the CX-5 this year joining the larger CX-7 which sold 9714 in 2011. Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior says the XV will appeal to people who enjoy "expansive lifestyles". "People who are active and enjoy new experiences," he explains. "They don't want to drive a large SUV, instead they demand car like ride and handling, and convenient cutting edge technology, to enable a fast paced adventurous lifestyle with comfort. XV is a clear indicator of what's to come from Subaru in terms of new technology and design, so it's fair to say we're very excited about our future." Compact SUVs account for almost half of all SUV sales and 12 per cent of all new vehicle sales. They increased 5.8 per cent to 121,387 last year while the whole market dropped 2.6 per cent to 1,008,437. This category features a strong line-up of 27 international vehicles with one each from the US, UK, Thailand, France and Germany, two from the Czech republic, three from China, six from South Korea and the rest from Japan.

And it’s great viewing even if you’re not a fan of the marque. But if you are a Suby tragic, you’ll be shedding tears of nostalgic pride well before the advertisement ends.The XV range will be launched next week in three spec levels: 2.0i, 2.0i-L and 2.0i-S  all with soft-touch finishes, uprated instrumentation, new interiors and seven airbags.The 2.0i has a reversing camera, comprehensive multi-function display, cruise control, steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters for the CVT variants, Bluetooth connectivity and audio streaming, auto air-con and black roof rails.The 2.0-L adds an electric sunroof, dual-zone air-con, SatNav with SMS voice text and voice control, and rear privacy glass and the premium S model has the luxury of leather trim, eight-way adjustable driver's seat, heated front seats, alloy pedals, silver roof rails and HID Xenon headlights.The motor is the same 110kW/196Nm 2.0-litre as used in the new Impreza, which will arrive in Oz about two months after the XV, and transmission is a choice of six-speed manual or stepless CVT.The hi-tech' all-new boxer engine uses lots of light materials, variable valve timing and peripherals like electric power steering and a stop-start system to cut fuel use by around 20 per cent.Subaru says the XV will average 7.0 litres/100km, (7.3 for the manual) which will give it a cruising range of about 850km.Subaru XV CrossoverPrice: TBABody: 5-door, 5-seater sub-compact SUVEngine: 2.0-litre, 110kW/196NmModels: 2.0i, 2.0i-L and 2.0i-STransmissions: 5-speed manual transmission, 4-speed automatic transmission with manual mode.Drive: All-wheel-drive system.Safety: DataDot security system , Immobiliser security system , Vehicle pre-wired for alarm system installation, SRS 3 airbags-dual front, dual front side & curtain.Economy: 7.0 litres/100kmWarranty: 3 year/unlimited km warranty

A funky family wagon and a new coupe are shining lights to buoy Subaru Australia in 2012 after enduring a sales disaster this year. Its managing director, Nick Senior, says the effects of Japan's tsumani in March crippled production of its mainstay Impreza range, pushing back the launch of its important successor model by four months. "The sales figures are ugly," he says. "Impreza makes up 45-50 per cent of sales and that relates to about 1400 a month. We're now doing less than 1000." The effect will slash Subaru Australia's predicted 42,000 total sales this year to around 34,000, Senior says. It recorded about 40,000 in 2010. "The disaster has affected two months of production and probably another month of backlog," he says. "We expected the new Impreza on the market this week. It'll now be March. "But the good news - and there is some good news - is that Australia will be the first market in the world - even beating the home market of Japan for the first time ever - to get a new Subaru model. "I think the XV will become an important volume model and will go a longway to recoup the sales shortfall we're experiencing now." The XV - set to launch here on January 1 - is a cross-over wagon based on the Impreza.Senior says there may be some cannibalisation of Forester sales but sees them attracting different buyers.

After unveiling the production version at the recent Frankfurt motor show, Subaru has announced that the funky little softroader will join their Australian SUV range, lining up beside the popular Forester and Outback, and the unloved Tribeca.There’s bound to be some strong attention for the XV, which is based on a jacked-up version of the new 2012 Impreza platform.With demand for compact SUVs continuing to grow Subaru Australia is understandably eager to get this one into the country.Managing director Nick Senior says the XV offers a clear indication of Subaru's design direction from now on."It delivers the driving feel and handling that only the latest Subaru symmetrical All-Wheel Drive platform can, as well as the latest Boxer engine, offering significant fuel efficiency and emission improvements," he said."XV also has the newest manual and auto transmission technology, and there's a new approach to cabin finishes, with incredible attention to detail on soft-touch surfaces, switch gear and instruments."Combine that with our customers' favourite Subaru qualities of All-Wheel Drive, durability, safety and retained value, and XV represents a formidable package.Pricing for the Subaru XV will be announced closer to the launch.

…car makers at this year’s show are bringing out their brightest, biggest and newest to amaze and delight. Here are just some of the highlights: BMW VISION ED: The headliner at the show is a technology hero first, but is also a great looker that points to the future design direction at BMW. FORD TERRITORY: There are plenty of SUVs at the show, and Holden and Mazda have concept utes, but the Aussie wagon is the one to see. It shows Ford’s new design direction and brings an efficient diesel to local car making. HYUNDAI VELOSTER: Fun is returning to the Korean brand, thanks to a compact coupe that looks great and should be better to drive than earlier two-door Hyundais. LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR: Outrageous, outrageous, outrageous. The new Italian stallion looks wicked and has the V12 engine and all-wheel drive to convert show to go. MERCEDES-BENZ SLK: A bright new convertible to wipe away the winter blues. The third-generation SLK is being previewed with the C-Class coupe. TOYOTA FT-86 II: The countdown to Toyota’s make-or-break sports car is into the final stages, with the FT-86 concept now in its second generation. It could wear Celica badges when it hits the road in 2012. SUBARU XV: It could be the next Forester but it’s not. Instead, the XV previews an all-new – and much more youthful – direction for a baby SUV that will be built from the basics of the new Impreza, also at the show. PORSCHE CAYMAN R: The lighter and faster pocket rocket in the Porsche family. The Cayman has been tweaked for speed and hogs the spotlight while Porsche prepares for its all-new 911 this year.

China is clearly on top of the car world in 2011.