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The US Has Become Subaru' s Bread And Butter

Jan. 19, 2019 10:31 AM ET by Jared Rosenholtz / 10 Comments While the Japanese automaker has struggled at home. 2018 has been a landmark year for Subaru in the United States. In addition to selling its two millionth Outback, Subaru also sold its nine millionth car (a 2018 Crosstrek) in the US. According to Automotive News, Subaru President Tomomi Nakamura believes the automaker's growth in the US will continue and has forecasted an 11th straight year of record sales volume in 2019. Subaru plans to produce 1.03 million vehicles in 2019, which is an increase of 1% compared to 2018. This growth is mostly attributed to the company's success in the US. Meanwhile, Subaru has been struggling in its home market of Japan. Subaru Subaru Subaru is still dealing with the aftermath of an investigation, which found the company guilty of falsifying emissions data in Japan. The company was forced to recall 530,000 vehicles in Japan, resulting in a 16% sales drop in the Japanese market. Fortunately for Subaru, this issue did not plague vehicles outside of the Japanese market. In fact, Nakamura believes dealerships in the US can actually sell more cars. In December, US dealers maintained a low stock of Ascent, Crosstrek, and Forester, meaning people were buying them faster than Subaru could supply them. "Our US dealers said they could sell more. So, I see there is an opportunity in the US market," Nakamura said. Subaru Despite the massive growth in the US, Subaru isn't rushing to build more cars. "We will be cautious about production," Nakamura said. Subaru's US sales increase by 5% to a record 680,135 vehicles in 2018, marking the 10th straight year of the company's growth. Perhaps this explains why Subaru finally decided to offer the new WRX STI S209 in the US only, after selling the previous models exclusively in Japan. This strategy of focusing on the US market has been successful for Subaru, though the plan could prove problematic if the US government decides to impose tariffs on Japan.

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Subaru WRX STI Jared Rosenholtz Editor-at-Large After graduating with an MBA, Jared pursued his love of cars by becoming an automotive journalist. An internship with CarBuzz grew into his current position as Editor At Large. Jared now spends most of his time evaluating new vehicles and chasing the latest news stories in the automotive industry. When he’s not attending Cars & Coffee events on the weekend, Jared loves to watch NFL football and cruise around with the top down in his German convertible. Contact Jared @Carsnbites @jar_rosenholtz LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top