A Brief History

The company was first known as Fuji Heavy Industries in 1915, and in 1932, the company was reorganized and name Nakajima Aircraft Company. It soon became the manufacturer of choice for aircraft during the World War II, and after the war, it was again reorganized and named Fuji Sangyo Company LTD. The company created its first scooter in 1946 with the help of spare aircraft parts from the war.

In 1950 the company was divided into 12 smaller companies, of which four of them formed a corporation named Fuji Heavy Industries. The CEO at the time wanted the company to be involved in car manufacturing and started making plans to develop a vehicle codenamed the P1. None of the design proposals submitted were appealing enough for the company, and in the end, it was given the name Subaru. The first car was named the Subaru 1500 and only 20 of these were ever made.

In 1968 Nissan bought a 20% stake in Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), which is Subaru’s parent company. Nissan would use their capabilities to develop their diesel line of buses. The automatic transmission system of the Subaru is also used today in the Nissan Pathfinder. Renault acquired Nissan, and as a result, its stake in FHI was sold to General Motors in 1999. General Motors served as a representative to FHI and during that time the company also introduced the Subaru Baja.

In 2005 General Motors liquidated its holdings in FHI. Almost all the joint projects were dropped at that specific time apart from the fact that Subaru will still supply parts for the SAAB 92-X. Subaru is quite unique in that almost 75% of its cars are sold in Japan, while the company’s manufacturing facilities are located in various countries, including the United States. Canada got their first glimpse of the Subaru in 1976 when the company started to offer the Subaru Leone. Some of the past popular models include the Subaru 360, as well as the Loyale and the Legacy. The Impreza is also a very popular model and the Impreza WRX is used in various Rally championships.

Clients all over the world love the Outback Sport, for its four-wheel drive capabilities and performance on rough terrains. The company has also partnered with various other automotive manufacturers with various models being sold in Europe and Asia. The company has various concept vehicles former including the SRD-1 which is still an experimental design.

Subaru Motorsport

Subaru is extensively involved in rally and takes part in various championships around the world every year. They were also one of the few manufacturers that combined four-wheel-drive and turbo together, after Audi’s successful Quattro system. Since then, modified versions of the Impreza WRX and the WRX STI have been successfully competing in really all over the world.

The Subaru brand is synonymous with performance and speed, and continue to grow their popularity throughout Canada. With an impressive lineup, Subaru is set to achieve its future goals and become one of the most sought-after brands in the world.