[1238576073jb]

I am interested in Subaru's marketing in the 90s in North America. How was that?

As for me, it seems like Subaru don't want to promote Outback in Japan in marketing perspective.
There is some TV commercials of Levorg, Forester, Imprezza, but none of Outback.

Is there a lot of public nature lands in Japan?

I'm from Iowa - only ~1% of Iowa land is public & there is almost no backcountry & zero backcountry to drive a car in to

I have an OBW mostly b/c they are cool AF (& I do travel out west a few times a year), but little reason to have an OB in Iowa other than a couple nasty snowstorms in the winter, or b/c (as mentioned above) they're a bit more affordable than vehicles with similar space & capabilities

 

[kenkenpa]

After reading all comments,

Is there a lot of public nature lands in Japan?

I'm from Iowa - only ~1% of Iowa land is public & there is almost no backcountry & zero backcountry to drive a car in to

I have an OBW mostly b/c they are cool AF (& I do travel out west a few times a year), but little reason to have an OB in Iowa other than a couple nasty snowstorms in the winter, or b/c (as mentioned above) they're a bit more affordable than vehicles with similar space & capabilities

I lived in Tokyo, but there is no back-country around Tokyo, and also there are almost no back-country in Japan, too.
The reason to have OB for me is going camp. Comparing the US (Only the area I know is just California though), they don't need OB performance for unpaved road, perhaps.
Still the mystery for me is that most Japanese don't know OB, and typical Japanese prefer Toyota Venza rather than OB in the same budget range. (2022 Toyota Venza | Elegance Elevated )

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

wikipedia, and maybe other sources, could be good to read for history of Subaru/Fuji Heavy Ind. in the US.

The famous 'chicken tax' trade war and Subaru's creative way to sell the Brat. And later the Paul Hogan ads.

 

[originaltwotone]

As mentioned by others, it's the slot it fills. It isn't a 'hatchback' that's too small to be really usable, nor is is it a monster SUV that too big to be fully utilized for most people. Even it's 'competitors' like the CRV, Rav4, and CX5 can't match the space available for hauling stuff. They've all gone for that swoopy rear that severely limits actual usable space. It may look like there's a lot of space, but the roof begins to slope at the rear seats and just gets lower as you move to the back.

Earlier this year, someone mentioned that the Outback looked outdated and needed some 'swoopy-ness' to modernize the look. Except that is exactly what the Outback DOESN'T need. Full height storage nearly all the way back to the rear hatch makes it much more practical.

I've never understood this design mentality. If it's a wagon it should have a square back. The point to owning a wagon is for space, having a curved rear just cuts into the space and entire point of a wagon. One reason I have a Flex. Wished they had updated them instead of killing them.

 

[SilverOnyx]

This is probably the best single video explaining Subaru's success:

For historical context this is how SUBARU marketing evolved:

In 2010 market share was about 2% and based on the success of the Paul Hogan commercials, the Outback had greater name recognition than Subaru itself. Beginning in 2010 is when Subaru started it's steady climb in the USA market.

 

[rogersk]

I am interested in Subaru's marketing in the 90s in North America. How was that?

As for me, it seems like Subaru don't want to promote Outback in Japan in marketing perspective.
There is some TV commercials of Levorg, Forester, Imprezza, but none of Outback.

Honestly it was using Paul Hogan at the height of the Crocodile Dundee / fascination with all things Australian phase we went through from the mid 80s to early 90s. They made it cool - its even named after an Aussie region.

Subaru has never compromised. They still use the wonderfully reliable yet slightly noisy boxer engine, and don't apologize. They still use full time AWD, and don't apologize. And they built a loyal following early on with outdoor enthusiasts. The LL Bean edition in North America was a brilliant marketing move for brand awareness and cache, and instantly cooler than the Eddie Bauer editions in Ford's lineup (although the Harlequin Golf was perhaps the most out there co-branding in automotive history). They do their thing, do it well, and people learned quickly that they were safe, reliable, durable, and well built.

 

[Escher]

As for me, it seems like Subaru don't want to promote Outback in Japan in marketing perspective.
There is some TV commercials of Levorg, Forester, Imprezza, but none of Outback.

Excellent questions and discussion, @kenkenpa !

Subaru designed the Outback specifically for the US market, and most Outbacks are built at the Subaru of America factory in the US state of Indiana. So it makes sense that Subaru would want to sell most of them here. On the other hand, the Forester, Impreza, and Levorg/WRX are built at the Gunma factory in Japan. They are also smaller and more suited to Japanese roads and tastes.

As for the reason why Subarus are not very popular in Germany and other European markets, I suspect it has to do with diesel, or the lack thereof in many Subaru models. Regular gasoline is very expensive in Europe and most of the world, whereas gas is (relatively) cheap in the US. So most buyers of mid-size and larger cars in Europe prefer Diesel engines. Subaru did introduce the Boxer Diesel some years ago. However, I don't think it sold very well nor is as reliable as Diesel engines typically are.

 

[Cerulean Obsidian]

I've never understood this design mentality. If it's a wagon it should have a square back. The point to owning a wagon is for space, having a curved rear just cuts into the space and entire point of a wagon. One reason I have a Flex. Wished they had updated them instead of killing them.

I assume the curved rear helps with aerodynamics but I would wager the real reason is to allow the hatch to be opened in tight confines, such as with a car parked behind you or when towing.

 

[provels]

I've never understood this design mentality. If it's a wagon it should have a square back. The point to owning a wagon is for space, having a curved rear just cuts into the space and entire point of a wagon. One reason I have a Flex. Wished they had updated them instead of killing them.

Same here. I had a 2002 Ford Escape that was a box and so very practical compared to today's version. All about styling, not practicality. That said, I am surprised more OBs aren't seen in Europe considering their penchant for "Estates" and "Shooting Brakes". Even mainstream sedans like the US Ford Fusion, Mazda6, and the Hyundai Sonata have their wagon versions. For example:
Top 10 best estate cars 2022 | Carbuyer

 

[RayG2261]

I assume the curved rear helps with aerodynamics but I would wager the real reason is to allow the hatch to be opened in tight confines, such as with a car parked behind you or when towing.

Maybe a combination of those things. But the real problem is that the car companies all use essentially the same design/modeling/aero software with some proprietary bits tossed in. When the design teams start to put in the desired info for aerodynamic efficiency aligned with efficient use of volume, you wind up with nearly identical looking cars. No matter WHAT software you use, physics and fluid dynamics are the same, so they all come to the same results.

Line up any number of 'SUV's in the mid-size range and without any badging and you would be hard pressed to identify them. Sure a few quirky ones made it through- like the Flex as mentioned by someone earlier.

 

[Danver]

Maybe a combination of those things. But the real problem is that the car companies all use essentially the same design/modeling/aero software with some proprietary bits tossed in. When the design teams start to put in the desired info for aerodynamic efficiency aligned with efficient use of volume, you wind up with nearly identical looking cars. No matter WHAT software you use, physics and fluid dynamics are the same, so they all come to the same results.

Line up any number of 'SUV's in the mid-size range and without any badging and you would be hard pressed to identify them. Sure a few quirky ones made it through- like the Flex as mentioned by someone earlier.

That has been my biggest problem with most SUVs when they all seemed to go with the tapered down roof in the back. They all look the same and visibility out of the back of the vehicle is terrible in many. I was another who had a boxy 2010 Ford Escape and loved the functionality and the boxy shape with incredible visibility. When they did the redesign in 2013 I knew just by looking at it that my next vehicle wouldn't be another Ford Escape. I loved the shoebox Ford Flex, but when I was ready to replace the 2010 Escape I just couldn't get past how low to the ground the Flex was and the fuel mileage. It didn't help that the Flex seemed to have some reliability issues as well.

Even the back of the Outback has followed the same styling trend and tapered back end as other SUVs, but it hasn't been quite as dramatic.

 

[StanTheMan]

I was another who had a boxy 2010 Ford Escape and loved the functionality and the boxy shape with incredible visibility. When they did the redesign in 2013 I knew just by looking at it that my next vehicle wouldn't be another Ford Escape.

Same here. We've owned a 2002 and a 2008 in the past. Great cars, no problems. Loved the shape, extreme utility. Also lost interest after the restyle.

Most recently, came from a Grand Cherokee with the same boxy shape. Ultimately found that the Outback, even though smaller, had more interior and cargo room with much better gas mileage. What's not to like?

 

[Satchel]

Parents had a see the USA in a Chevrolet wagon as a child. Then mother drove a couple or three Datsun wagons and I bought a 68 VW Squareback from a friend in the 70s. Went from a Prius to our 2019 Limited OB and traded up for this 2021 Touring XT. Love most everything about it and especially the safety, only car in its class to get a good on the new NHSTA side impact test.

 

[YeuEmMaiMai]

I live at the top of a large hill, I need to carry stuff, so outback it is. wife has a legacy

 

[thehomeplacemn]

I think the Subarus do very well up here in Minnesota because they are AWD. There also seems to be a coolness factor associated with the Outback and WRX in particular.

 

[typ993]

When I'm up skiing at my local hill in Washington state, it is not uncommon to have a row of seven or eight cars that are all Subarus of one type or another. The handling in snow is great and the car is comfortable. My ski buddy had a Cherokee and a Volvo wagon. I picked him up one time to go skiing and he forgot his boots, so he borrowed the car to run back and get them. He just bought a new Outback, got rid of the Volvo.

 

[genegold]

There's an outdoor activity culture that is built around the Outback, and whether this culture is a result of the Outback's niche features or vice versa, it's a fact and it's there. And Subaru marketing people have exploited this concept for years; now whether people actually buy them for real outdoor activities, or just see the commercials and aspire do such activities, it still helps to sell the vehicle.

Looking at where the rate of OB’s per household is greatest answers that, at least early on. In the States, think the NW and NE, plus the Rockies and upper Midwest for starts. I bought my ‘99 down the street in Santa Monica, but as an inveterate hiker and cross-country skier in the Sierra, including lots of roller skiing around LA, a mid-sized wagon with AWD and MT fit the bill. Soon I was working a winter in the Adirondacks and then moving to Minnesota and later SW Montana

 

[CourtneyNYC]

Mainly because it really is the only vehicle in its class.

Precisely. It incorporates, while maintaining practical use as a design constraint, a lot of desirable elements from other platforms. The Outback is pretty much, in many eyes, unique in many way.

If you want something that rides like a car, with comfort for 5 people and isn't huge, then that leaves trucks out.

It doesn't really leave trucks out . . . but, the Outback is an entirely different animal. We keep an F-250SD at our weekend home in the Hudson Valley and an F-350SD at our farm. They cost about $84K and #93K respectively. There is enough room in the backseat to get up and walk around with the rear seats stowed and you can nearly put a sheet of plywood on the flat floor of the backseat. Lots of room. But . . . I bought a 2022 Outback Touring XT with every option Subaru sells and paid $44,000 . . . less than half the price of the F-250SD. I filled the F-250, with diesel, twice this week. First was $240, second was $215.

While the trucks will fit in the garages . . . . it'd darn tight. I can pull the Outback in with a 4 bike rack on the back and walk around the car. Great for wasting and waxing in the dead of winter.

But, assume you want a hatchback, and you want essentially a station wagon for the longer cargo area.

Again . . . the Subaru is kind of unique with regard to cargo area. I had a 2019 Porsche Macan that I kept upstate as a spare. I loved the car, handled like it was on rails, great headlights (I drive alot at night on the Taconic Parkway) and the PDK transmission is a marvel of modern engineering. But . . it had about 52CF or cargo space. The Subaru (and I'm guessing at these numbers based on memory) is about 108CF . . . huge difference and allows me to do things like load my little red wagon to go to concerts in the Woodstock area and Tanglewood. Put the rear seat down in the Outback and you have as much room as some Manhattan studio apartments.

Through all of this, Subaru has built a good reputation of reliability, safety, and handling. And always that reputation of AWD that works well

In fact . . . it doesn't even require much explanation beyond . . "IT WORKS". That's why so many of us, who live in places subject to even occasional big snowfalls, love the Outback. An Outback with a set of proper winter tires can do ab out anything my monster truck can do. The Outback is incredibly well, even with it's quirks, engineered.

That AWD doesn't just work well . . . it is without peer.

Probably the biggest competitor of the Outback is the Forester.

I'd agree. In terms of utility and capability, Subaru's greatest competition is another Subaru.

most Outbacks are built at the Subaru of America factory in the US state of Indiana.

Correct . . and very proudly and well built. The more you read and study about the Subaru plant the more impressive it is.

I have other reasons, including a dealer that's within a 5 minute drive.

Others have hit on the marketing campaigns . . . but, I think Subaru has us figured out from the dog lovers, to the outdoors crowd the the winter sports folks.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

My 2007 Vibe was totalled when a Jeep Cherokee landed on the hood in 2020. I knew I wanted to replace it with a 6 cylinder, something with a little more room, AWD or 4WD, a sunroof, and oodles of safety features. I was able to find a 2016 Outback 3.6R and honestly, I wish I had discovered Subaru sooner. I've only put about 10,000 miles on it since I got it, and I have enjoyed every one of them. This is a great car that's fun to drive. With Subiworx close by in Phoenix, I am really hoping that this is the last car I ever have to buy.

 

[Ken C]

Also, up until very recently, Subaru was the only make sold in the US with true, symmetrical AWD.

What other make has "true, symmetrical AWD" today?