Subaru June 2012 Sales Up 40%
 

Outback and Forester provide the HP to a record setting month compared to the natural disaster year that was last spring, summer, fall and even winter…

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - July 3, 2012

2013 Subaru Outback – $23,495 to start while rated at a rather poor 24/30 mpgUS city/highway at best and just 18/25 mpgUS city/highway at its worst.

Subaru’s 2013 Outback is powered by a new, more efficient powertrain and is debuting the new EyeSight driver-assist system. Chassis enhancements improve both ride quality and agility in the 2013 Outback.

The 2013 Outback features standard Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and 8.7 inches of ground clearance.

The 2013 Outback 2.5i models debut a new double-overhead-cam (DOHC) 2.5L Boxer engine for increased performance and fuel efficiency. The new engine produces 173 HP and 174 lb.-ft. of torque, compared to the previous engines 170 HP and 170 lb.-ft.

Trims

The 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5i models are available in three trim levels – a Base, Premium and Limited. The Fuel Sucking Pig - Outback 3.6R models will be offered in Base and Limited. The base 2.5i features steering wheel cruise control and audio switches; Bluetooth hands-free phone and audio streaming capability; a 60/40 split fold-down rear seat with recline feature; electronic parking brake with Hill Holder System and an automatic headlight function standard.

Outback Premium models add a 10-way power driver’s seat (with power lumbar support adjustment) and driver’s auto up/down window; leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter (CVT); instrument panel storage bin with door; ambient light for the overhead console; body-colored side mirrors and 17-in. alloy wheels (all 3.6R trim lines have 17-in. alloy wheels as standard).

The Premium models offer three option packages.

1. The All-Weather Package adds heated front seats and mirrors and a windshield wiper de-icer.
   
   
2. The Power Moonroof Package with Rear Vision Camera also includes an auto-dimming rear-view mirror with Homelink garage-remote function.
   
   
3. The Harman/Kardon display-type premium audio system with standard XM satellite radio service (4-month free trial subscription included), a 4.3-in. color display, and 440-watt high-performance audio amplifier and 9 Harman/Kardon premium speakers, with subwoofer.

The Limited trim adds to the Premium a standard Lineartronic CVT, perforated leather upholstery, dual zone automatic climate control, the display-type Harman/Kardon Premium Audio Package, rear A/C ducts, electro-luminescent gauges and a 4-way power front passenger seat. The Limited models also exclusively offer an available voice-activated GPS navigation system with a 7-in. LCD display, Rear Vision Camera and XM NavTraffic.

Ok, that is about enough of this! Anyone driving an Outback equipped with the 3.6L and its accompanying 18/25 mpgUS rating is most certainly not thinking about the environment no matter how much he or she pretends to be doing so. Fortunately Subaru offers the 36 mpgUS highway rated Impreza AWD for those that really do care…

Subaru June Sales

Subaru earlier today reported record sales for June 2012 of 27,702 vehicles, a 40 percent gain over June 2011. The company also reported year-to-date sales of 164,304 – a 24 percent gain over prior year.

June sales for the all-new 36 mpgUS rated 2012 Impreza AWD continue to climb and are up 146 percent over June 2011. Outback and Legacy models also enjoyed 17 and 12 percent month-over-month gains, respectively.

Thomas J. Doll, Exec VP and COO, Subaru of America:

Top 10 Sales Leaders - Items of note: Camry swapped places from 2 to 3 with the Chevrolet Silverado while the F-Series punched through the 50,000 mark for the fourth consecutive month. Malibu jumped from 7th to 3rd, Accord climbed one from 6th to 5th, Escape leapt from off the list last month to 6th this, the Civic fell from 4th to 7th, the Corolla fell from 5th to 8th, Fusion fell from 8th to 9th and RAM fell from 9th to 10th. The CR-V fell off the list by a few hundred vehicles.

B-Segment Sales Rank

1. Nissan Versa - 8,746
2. Chevrolet Sonic - 6,785
3. Hyundai Accent - 5,660
4. Ford Fiesta - 4,589
5. Honda Fit - 4,584
6. Kia Rio - 3,668
7. Toyota Yaris - 2,007
8. Mazda2 - 938

C-Segment Sales Rank

1. Honda Civic - 27,500
2. Toyota Corolla - 26,647
3. Ford Focus - 21,186
4. Chevrolet Cruze - 18,983
5. Hyundai Elantra - 17,655
6. VW Jetta - 11,598
7. Nissan Sentra - 9,211
8. Mazda3 - 8,835
9. Kia Forte - 7,461

D-Segment Sales Rank

1. Toyota Camry - 32,107
2. Chevrolet Malibu - 31,402
3. Honda Accord - 28,924
4. Ford Fusion - 24,433
5. Nissan Altima - 21,812
6. Hyundai Sonata - 20,931
7. Kia Optima - 13,393
8. Chrysler 200 - 10,871
9. VW Passat - 10,252

Segment ranking items of note: In the B-Segment ranks, the Fit and Rio swapped positions while Yaris sales fell sharply. The C-Segment ranks did not change other than the Sentra jumping two places ahead of both the Mazda3 and Kia Forte. The D-Segment ranks saw the Accord swap places with the Malibu from 2nd to 3rd .

Automobile Manufacturer's US Sales Rank – June 2012 vs. June 2011 Comparison and Total Sales

1. GM June Sales up 15.5% with 248,750 vehicles sold.
2. Ford June Sales up 7.0% with 207,759 vehicles sold.
3. Toyota June Sales up 60.3% with 177,795 vehicles sold.
4. Chrysler June Sales up 20.3% with 144,811 vehicles sold.
5. Honda June Sales up 48.8% with 124,808 vehicles sold.
6. Nissan June Sales up 28.2% with 92,237 vehicles sold.
7. Hyundai June Sales up 7.8% with 63,813 vehicles sold.
8. Kia June Sales up 13.9% with 51,326 vehicles sold.
9. VW June Sales up 34.2% with 38,170 vehicles sold.
10. BMW June Sales up 3.2% with 27,720 vehicles sold.
11. Subaru June Sales up 40.0% with 27,702 vehicles sold.
12. Mercedes-Benz June Sales up 12.5% with 25,388 vehicles sold.
13. Mazda June Sales up 3.1% with 19,911 vehicles sold.
14. Audi June Sales up 26.0% with 12,664 vehicles sold.

Through the first six months of 2012, the Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) is running at approximately 14.3 million.

Re: Subaru June 2012 Sales Up 40%
 

Environment, wallet, national security..all good reasons not to pick that engine. Unfortunately the Impreza doesn't meet the need for everyone. One coworker of mine is doing nicely in his MT Outback with the outgoing N/A 4-banger. I'm sure he just gets in the car and drives, but it was showing close to 30mpg on the readout last time he drove to lunch. The last Impreza I rode in (previous generation in base trim, also a MT) was showing just 19. It just shows you how the driver can make or destroy these things.

Re: Subaru June 2012 Sales Up 40%
 

24/30 isn't great, but is a significant improvement over the previous model -- and remember that the Outback is a big car with a HUGE cargo area. A lot of people buying these are downsizing from much larger SUVs.

Unfortunately 24/30 is only for the CVT version. The MT is stick at 21/28. Pretty obvious Subaru is sabotaging the MT's mpg to sell ATs.

The Impreza does meet the needs of a lot of people where it didn't before. The current model is considerably more spacious inside than the earlier, much thirstier Imprezas. In fact, it would meet out needs just fine, even though we previously found the Impreza's cockpit too confining.