[Watchtowerprepared]

Im not a fan of the new OB, nor am I a fanboy of Subaru in general, but maybe in time it will grow on me. It looks like a Nissan Pathfinder. Doesn't matter as I have an 2025 OB anyway.

Something will have to give when 50K price tags becomes the norm, I just don't see the appeal, and all the bulbous and angular designs these days, and the tech add-on, like every vehicle maker is in a losing contest with Tesla's Robotruck. Prediction: A bunch of neurotic people at the helm of dildo inspired vehicle design mindlessly driving about the roads of America. Did you know vehicles now come equipped with mood lighting? They do, you can change the interior glow to a color of choice. Some much frothing at the mouth and so little substance IMO, like the AI boom that's about to go bust, and that lithium boom we didn't have based on everyone not buying an EV. Reality checks are a bummer, so are hemorrhoids, over 140 million spent last year on Preparation H in the USA. Priorities are out of whack more fiber less everything else I say.

 

[PilotXT]

Guess I’ll start saving now for that OBW “Touring” mashup 50k model. Lol.

I bought my 21 OBXT for less than the base 2026 MSRP. Eek

 

[error]

Interesting... how much it is going to cost in Canadian pesetas?

 

[LT2020]

despite my eyes coming around somewhat to the '26 Outback, I think the announced pricing means holding out a couple more months and snapping up a '25 Wilderness for sub $40k is starting to look fairly compelling.

 

[provels]

Where's my "Whip Inflation Now" button?

 

[CourtneyNYC]

My theory FWIW is Subaru needed to reposition themselves in the market

Good for Subaru . . . I love mine but . . . at $50 . . . I am headed back to Germany.

I’ll keep the 2022 Outback Touring XT but no way in hell the Outback is a $50k value. The Audi All Road A6, which gets 34MPG in Car and Drivers 75mph road test, or another Macan GTS . . . something fun about 434HP . . .

The Outback is great but playing in the $50k+ plus lane is an entirely new environment.

Although . . . the Macan wasn’t the greatest in the sand

 

[Sparkland]

The Outback has reached the average price of a new vehicle level ($47K), but that seems pretty expensive. There might be better options out there, especially in 2027 when a number of new vehicles will be introduced from various manufacturers.

 

[Brucey]

My top of the line trim 3.6 was less than a base model. I believe even MSRP but would have to check.

That said I still consider Subaru a value brand and they are less expensive than many alternatives.

I imagine sales are going to increase over the Gen 6.

 

[2012 2.5premium cvt]

He gave me a useful reminder that this is a much revised model, not a refresh, and that underlies some of the price increase. It also has taken this long for me to get a feel for how the whole OB line has been upgraded, with the elimination of base, and the upgrades to premium.

Looked it up the base base Legacy MSRP for 2025 was $24,895, unchanged from 2024.

I still think the move of OB production was a signal they were going upmarket with it and up in price. I guess they hope to sell more of the new Outback than the previous one, because they believe the SUV style is ore marketable these days, than the SW style. IOW SW has run its course. But if they think the gen7 will sell more, why move production to Japan? That move would suggest to me they expect the new OBSUV to sell a lot less than the Crosstrek or Forester, both of which are to be assembled in Indiana.

Now we need some informative OB SUV road tests.

 

[2012 2.5premium cvt]

https://www.autoblog.com/news/subarus-2026-outback-just-got-pricier-but-is-it-still-worth-it

 

[JJF20]

Interesting... how much it is going to cost in Canadian pesetas?

I went Subaru shopping twice this summer, last was a week or so ago. No pricing yet, but I’ll call this week and see if that changed. New outback’s won’t be available until Nov/Dec at the earliest, possibly January. There was only one new 2025 left in Canada, we’ll have to wait for production to get into full swing in Japan. It avoids the USA Tariff war.

why move production to Japan?

To avoid (counter) tariffs in the rest of the world, is what I was told. No idea if that is true, but sounds plausible. It is holding back sales of new Subaru in Canada right now.

 

[2012 2.5premium cvt]

To avoid (counter) tariffs in the rest of the world, is what I was told. No idea if that is true, but sounds plausible. It is holding back sales of new Subaru in Canada right now.

Thanks for reminding me, as I had done some digging the other day. Maybe there are other threads, but there is a thread I looked at the other day https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/ob-possibly-leaving-indiana-for-production-in-japan.568472/
where post #16 still links to a local Indiana newspaper article from may 2024 that describes some of the production changes.

https://www.wlfi.com/news/new-hybri...nd-current-models-leaving-sia/article_3c13f1b2-1943-11ef-b705-b3a2c4c0b09d.html

Looks like the decisions were made well over a year ago or IMO most likely quite a while earlier than the date on the article. Maybe years, which also led to Gen 6 having an extra year. Well before there were active issues around enacted tariffs. So IMO tariffs reciprocal or otherwise played no role in the decision.

That local article does leave out how Subaru IIRC intended to set up an EV line in Indiana too. Makes sense since till recently, there were govt programs in place to encourage EV production and purchase in USA. Were.

Anybody got some references to Subaru's EV plans for Indiana? If no more EVs there, maybe we can expect augmented Forester, Ascent, Crosstrek production, and discounted prices to unload them?

So I am revising my theory (just conjecture by a non business expert car fan) to be that Subaru decided that in order to have an EV line, they would have to cut back or cut out existing model(s) production. They decided to move OB production to Japan as part of their upmarket strategy for OB and their belief that it will sell fewer units than before, but at higher transaction prices. Now in view of changed US regulationa they may cut the EV line down or out, which would leave them with more even capacity for F, A, and C, now that OB is gone from Indiana.

It's a good story and I'm stickin' to it (4 now).

 

[walker]

That local article does leave out how Subaru IIRC intended to set up an EV line in Indiana too. Makes sense since till recently, there were govt programs in place to encourage EV production and purchase in USA. Were.

Anybody got some references to Subaru's EV plans for Indiana? If no more EVs there, maybe we can expect augmented Forester, Ascent, Crosstrek production, and discounted prices to unload them?

the only thing I have seen recently was the press release about the 6 millionth vehicle produced…

“U.S. production of the Subaru Forester will begin at SIA this fall, followed by the Forester Hybrid in the spring. SIA expects to produce its 8 millionth overall vehicle in November.”

 

[JJF20]

Thanks for reminding me, as I had done some digging the other day. Maybe there are other threads, but there is a thread I looked at the other day https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/ob-possibly-leaving-indiana-for-production-in-japan.568472/
where post #16 still links to a local Indiana newspaper article that describes some of the production changes.

Well, there you go. Decision made long before tariffs.

Subaru dealer told me it was due to tariffs, just a week or so ago… hard to have faith in these guys when they tell you things like that.

 

[2012 2.5premium cvt]

skip to next post

 

[2012 2.5premium cvt]

Well, there you go. Decision made long before tariffs.

Subaru dealer told me it was due to tariffs, just a week or so ago… hard to have faith in these guys when they tell you things like that.

There are numerous reasons, but the dealer is often the last place to go for accurate information.
Nuff said.

Tariffs are a kettle of worms, but did not play into the decisions we’re talking about.

 

[2012 2.5premium cvt]

the only thing I have seen recently was the press release about the 6 millionth vehicle produced…

“U.S. production of the Subaru Forester will begin at SIA this fall, followed by the Forester Hybrid in the spring. SIA expects to produce its 8 millionth overall vehicle in November.”

Occurs to me that moving some US market production out of Japan gives them more EV capacity there. Trailseeker and Toyota version are to be made in Japan in a Subaru plant, correct?

 

[GerardH]

Subaru announced it was ending sales of the Outback Legacy in Japan last year (March 2025), you knew something was afoot with their domestic production and its affect on its Indiana assembly plant.

 

[walker]

Well, there you go. Decision made long before tariffs.

Subaru dealer told me it was due to tariffs, just a week or so ago… hard to have faith in these guys when they tell you things like that.

there are transcripts of the earnings calls Subaru does… in those they will talk about impacts of tariffs, both in the US and exporting to other countries…. The transcripts I’ve read didn’t indicate production shifts because of it.

they also talk about their planned outlook for EV stuff and so on, and what locations they are investing in to expand production, whether it’s in house battery production, hybrid powertrain production, and so on.

many of the comments were around the forester and the expected US market. Outback was rarely mentioned in the ones I’d read.

 

[2012 2.5premium cvt]

there are transcripts of the earnings calls Subaru does…

where can those transcripts be found?
Would be interesting reading.
edit: I guess you mean the financial results page of their .jp site. Thank you, never thought to look there
I haven't looked at the Japanese site in years. Amusing to see the raised suspension Levorg, called the "Layback"