If they could bring the Impreza diesel in and have it priced under a Focus diesel, they may have a chance, but as I understand it from my local Daihatsu dealer, importers are trying not to buy stock from Japan currently due to the exchange rate.
They could also sell lower spec versions at cheaper prices because the country folk who's Subarus I clean dont much care for gizmos, they want rubber floors and hardwearing interiors, so maybe a country-spec version would be good.
My local Subaru dealer also sells Isuzu pickups, but I have no idea if theres money in them either - isnt the importer for them the same as Subaru?
|
Well here is a true tale, towards the start of the credit crunch some dealers had pre ordered the Impreza Diesel so a couple dribbled through to the showrooms , and they were priced higher than the Legacy Sports Tourer Diesel - how bizzare.
The new 2010 Subaru model range will be launched at the Frankfurt Motor show - 15/09/09 and the cars available in the UK for the buying rush late Sept early Oct
can't you see the Q's starting now ?
Maybe not
i reckon the 2008 and 2009 models will still be unsold in the showrooms Nov Dec, based upon at least one dealer trying to shift a 2007 Limited edition Outback a month or so...
My 2p worth is for the brand range to be slashed then UK/EU spec cars to be imports only serviced by Independents and approx 1,200 sales per annum
any other suggestions apart from price right service included for 1st 50k and low cost loans 2.6% etc etc?
|
|
|
|
As a former Impreza owner, it saddens me greatly that Subaru UK and their dealers appear to have completely lost the plot in recent years.
The current Impreza is so pig ugly no-one wants to buy one. The entire petrol-engined range is so uncompetitive on CO2 emissions that they have no chance of selling into the corporate market. The Boxer Diesel engine should have been their saviour, but it arrived at least 5 years too late. Subaru's iconic rally team, which in many ways WAS their brand, has been disbanded.
Subaru's brand positioning and marketing is also hopeless. I remember a surreal conversation with the boss of a Midlands Subaru dealer, during which he told me that Subaru saw Porsche as their principal competitors. Completely barking.
|
Subaru are more geared to the North american market, where they are very successful.
However, i agree that the problems here stem from the lack of a diesel engine ( until recently). The Imprezza is just ugly, so i think they will lose much of their loyal following.
The new Legacy due next year also seems very much designed for the N American market.
Subaru need to concentrate on their strength of being a performance-based brand. I would love to see them develop a higher power Diesel engine for the Euro market. Also maybe import the Japanese spec models, like the Legacy Turbo, which is more powerfull, faster and more economical than the 3.0 available here
Edited by Dvb99 on 21/08/2009 at 15:19
|
"Subaru need to concentrate on their strength of being a performance-based brand."
On the contrary, Subaru seem to be doing their best to distance themselves from that image both in the UK and here in Ireland. What market they see for themselves instead is a mystery.
Their great white hope here seems to be the new SUV-style Forester Diesel, which puts them in competition with the cheaper, lower emissions, cheaper to tax Hyundai Santa Fe CRDI. In 2WD, I believe the Hyundai is Ireland's best selling SUV, which shows just how much interest the average buyer will have in Subaru's engineering...
|
The new Legacy / Outbacks due soon are USA Oriented in that they have grown in Length/Width & Height!
Few, in the UK, would have regarded the current models small.
Another wrong direction for Subrau UK IMO. Impreza style was the mistake just 2 years ago and here we go again.
|
As someone who is actively trying to buy 3 litre Outback for about 6 weeks now I am surprised how absolutely isolated from economic reality Subaru dealers appear to be at the moment. Second hand stock is rare and far between. Looks like no Subaru dealer anywhere in south east likes to have any second hand cars in stock at all. And when they have something pre-owned in - the prices are often cosmically and comically unrealistic - there is a franchised dealer about 7 miles from where I live, they have two 7 years old, previous shape Outbacks with weaker H6 engine and old 4 speed gearbox, both of which are priced well over 200% Glass' valuation. They also have ex-demonstrator Outback, that is priced one grand higher than completely new one, OTR, taxed and delivered to your door.
Which brings me to another point - so far, not a single dealer I spoke to was prepared to do any deals on their cars - new or old - beside deals on Impreza and Forester advertised by main Subaru site. You would think with the whole credit crunch and road tax changed etc they would be slightly more cooperative. But no. No low APRs, no free servicing added in, no discounts, no deliveries across country, not even price matching to online deals. I might actually be actively forced to go spend my money elsewhere...
Edited by v0n on 23/08/2009 at 23:47
|
At the end of the day, if you were a small manufacturer who majored on REAL rather than PERCEIVED quality, and you were faced with the choice of making a model for a reliable market who appreciated your product, or a silly, snobby little bankrupt backwater who prefers to have soft-touch plastics in the cabin than an engine made properly, who never bought your properly-made products in any numbers, which would you choose?
I suspect that Subaru won't be missed in this country, but that's our loss.
|
It all seems sad, doesn't it? A genuinely different and innovative brand that the UK punters won't go near. All a bit like innovative BMC losing out to Ford and Vauxhall 30-odd years ago.
A long time ago someone - might have been Car magazine - used the words 'blind alley engineering' about Subaru. Seems they were right.
|
|
Europa in Sheffield are worth a try if they have anything you fancy. I bought my 53 plate Forester from them and they were a pleasure to deal with.
|
|
|
vOn with all due respect your research has not discovered MKG 3000 a Subaru dealer in Twickenham.
Look on their website you will find they will match or beat any internet deal you can find.
I bought my Legacy diesel from them fifteen months ago just as it was released in the uk.
Without effort got a £1300 discount. Not great but for a Subaru and a newly released model certainly better than the list price only from other dealers.
In my experience an excellent dealer . If you make any enquiries contact James Maxfield one of the directors. If you wish mention my name Stuart Turner.
They usually have a good stock of seconhand ones in as well.
I reside two hundred miles from them but take it there for routine services as their after service is excellent as well.
Certainly worth a try.
I do not know where you are based but another dealer worthy of mention is Stan Palmers at Carlisle.
PS I have no connection with these dealers other than a satisfied customer.
|
When I said I was looking for an ex demo and the salesman glibly said 'I can do you a new one for the cost of an ex demo'.
On a second visit I reminded him of this, he went away to do some number crunching, but in reality he couldn't.
No auto in the diesel meant I din't pursue the car.
|
Miata, your post there actually highlights another issue.
Internet brokers make their money as they have few overheads, maybe an office and thats it. They place big orders with dealers and so get the best rates.
If you have a dealer who is willing to match that, who is 200 miles from you so will realistically never retain your loyalty for parts & servicing, exactly what was the profit he made? Maybe edged him nearer some sort of bonus from Subaru but that would be about it?
I have mentioned this time and time on here before, as consumers we want the best deals, we want internet prices but at some point, when there is not a dealer within 100 miles of us as they are all out of business, then we will maybe wish we had used them!
Don't get me wrong there are some big dealers doing well, Arnold Clark in Scotland recently announced 700 new jobs. But there must be many smaller dealers feeling the crunch especially some like Subaru and maybe even Skoda who from my personal experience, were usually small family owned dealershios.
Edited by BobbyG on 24/08/2009 at 10:14
|
That is a valid point. I got the impression there was good profit in the deal for him.
At the time no brokers were offering the model at anything other than list price as were other dealers so it was a no brainer really.
Being my first Subaru i can understand the enthusiasm for the marque.
A niche market for certain but for me who likes something different and over engineered its just the job.
After fifteen months and 49000 very hard miles not one issue at all not one squeek or rattle and just seems to improve as the miles pile on.
Not everyones cup of tea but certainly mine. Cannot see me moving off the brand in my driving career.
|
In the last 6 mths our local dealer has had an assortment of "old Subarus"/"old models" - registered 18 mths- 2 yrs ago but with less than 30 mls on the clock- Foresters x 20, Non turbo Imprezasx 15, 3ltr Legacys x 6.............all ex Subaru registered at Head Office.
Why reister cars and not sell them when they were fresh?
Is this a clearance by HO before some major change is distribution?
|
|
|
a silly snobby little bankruptbackwater who prefers to have soft-touch plastics in the cabin than an engine made properly
crikey, I must have found my doppleganger here !!
|
|
|
|
|
Quite liked look of 09 Impreza in passing and ended up on this thread.
A few things I discovered:
New 150 hp diesel rated quietest.
Stability electronics not on base model.
Even 1.5 petrol CO2 seems higher than competition.
Really glad for all the background here so this now right off my list.
Thanks
|
|
Hey , thanks for providing this useful information.
|
|
Is Fred-o a robot that spurts in random comments every so often ?
|
>>Is Fred-o a robot that spurts in random comments every so often ?
I nearly inhaled my sticky bun reading that.
|
|
|
|
I have to disagree about Subaru being a brand on the way out. I suspect it might depend upon where you live in the country. I speak as someone new to the brand who has just bought a diesel Outback in June.
I think that the diesel engine will make a huge difference to the sales of Subaru. It is coming in as the class leading fuel economy for the OB, and the press reception has been very good. I was very pleased by how much comes as standard on the cars, and how few "options" you are required to select. In this price bracket, Subaru are deemed to be good value compared with the price you would have to pay to spec up a Volvo or Audi to the similar level.
I got mine as an ex-demo from Stan Palmers in Carlisle, and although there was little movement on price once they came down to what I could afford (my limit was 20k), they did negotiate on extras such as putting in a Harman Kardon ipod/bluetooth hands free kit together with boot tray, mats etc. and drove it over to me to deliver it.
Here in North Yorkshire, I see loads of OBs, Legacy STs cruising around. My neighbour has just got a Forester (actually the second of the old shape, as he wrote off his other after 4 weeks through some idiot ploughing head on to him!).
I think Subaru have missed a trick with the 2010 OB/Legacies though. The fuel economy has dropped down to where instead of leading the pack, they are just also rans. Since I got my OB, it has had very favourable responses, and friends are considering it as well.
.*******
On top of that, they didn't bother rotating the tyres and I felt that they didn't do much for the premium price they were charging. If I am going to pay for a dealer service, I expect it to provide excellent service to justify the price, especially with hassle of getting over to the dealer.
|
Well noticed- its key for all Subaru owners to ask or move wheel tyres from Fr to Rr & visa-versa every 6 or 8 k to ensure even tyre wear.
How are you doing on the mpg front ?
My 2007 2.5l petrol Outback has average 34mpg over the past 5 k miles since it fitted the Cosworth Air Filter .
The new 2010 models are on my list to test drive but the pricing looks way out of line in UK.
Edited by ukjazz on 30/09/2009 at 15:35
|
MPG is running at 46mpg (tank to tank) and improving as the engine loosens up.
www.spritmonitor.de/ is a site for tracking fuel consumption, and allows you to search for aggregated data, which shows that for the 6 Outback diesels listed, average consumption is 7.14l/100km or c. 40mpg
|
|
|
|
Hmm, bits of my previous posting appear to have been garbled, changing the meaning of the last paragraph.
The point I was making was that I took my OB to my local Subaru dealer for the 12,000 mile service. It was relatively pricey, but then it is a dealer service. However, what I was not pleased with was the fact that they required me to sort out insurance for the courtesy car myself, and then changed the vehicle the day before (necessitating more calls to the insurance company). Even if they felt the need to add a charge for the insurance, expecting me to sort it out for one day is a huge disincentive for using them next time.
The small independent garages I use include the insurance with the courtesy car. For a dealer service, they should be emphasising the service aspects. As I then went on to say:
"If I am going to pay for a dealer service, I expect it to provide excellent service to justify the price, especially with the hassle of getting over to the dealer. "
|
|
Sounds like a rubbish dealer. Mine lends me a car with no charge.
|
|
I am inclined to agree. Since the post was around franchise dealers disappearing, I think that they do need to help themselves. Perhaps the reason some are disappearing is simply due to poor service....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I know Subarus are reliable, but I find it impossible to see that any Japanese car can have a brand image of any sort.
|
|
I can smell old chesnuts roasting :-)
|
|
|
|
Totally disagree. My perception about my Accord estate is that it tells someone looking at it very little about me. It's smart, so I get no hassle, and it's not flash, so I get no hassle. I percieve it as the sort of image that Audi was going for in the late '80s.
|
|
|
>>>>>>I know Subarus are reliable, but I find it impossible to see that any Japanese car can have a brand image of any sort.
Oh go on then!
I drive a Subaru and chose it for a host of reasons not least the quality of the engineering, performance, ability and proven reliability. The big bonus was its under the radar "brand image." I could have opted for an Audi, Merc or BMW but didn?t fancy driving something inferior and with such a lousy "look at me I've really made it" brand image. Each to his own eh? ;-)
|
|
|
I know Subarus are reliable but I find it impossible to see that any Japanese car can have a brand image of any sort.
What about Lexus? I would have thought that they have a definite brand image.
Mention Lexus to most people and they will immediately think of an up-market, well equipped and utterly reliable car.
|
Mention Lexus to most people and they will immediately think of an up-market well equipped and utterly reliable car.
I don't - I think of Alan Partridge.
|
I don't - I think of Alan Partridge.
Aaaarrgh! Quick...Nurse...the Mind Bleach!
|
|
|
|
|
|
