Subaru Introduces the World's First Sport Utility Sedan
6 January 1998
Subaru Introduces the World's First Sport Utility Sedan
DETROIT, Jan. 6 -- Subaru of America, Inc. today introduced
the world's first sport utility sedan, the Subaru Legacy Sport Utility Sedan,
at the North American International Auto Show. The Legacy Sport Utility Sedan
is a 1999 model and goes on sale immediately after the show at all Subaru
dealers nationwide.
Designed to be both versatile and rugged, the Legacy Sport Utility Sedan
is the only sedan available in the U.S. that offers a combination of
recreational use off-road capability along with the comfort, convenience and
safety of a refined sedan. The foundation of the Legacy Sport Utility Sedan
is the Subaru All-Wheel Driving System consisting of the Subaru boxer engine,
all-wheel drive and long travel four-wheel independent raised suspension. But
the Legacy Sport Utility Sedan also has four-wheel disc brakes with
four-channel anti-lock that combine to give it the flexibility and safety
demanded of a vehicle that can live both on and off the road.
For comfort and convenience, the Legacy Sport Utility Sedan is equipped
with power rack and pinion steering, four-speed automatic transmission,
CF-free air conditioning, AM/FM/Cassette stereo with Weatherband, power
windows, locks, mirrors, cruise control, and overhead map lights. In
addition, the Legacy Sport Utility Sedan features as standard equipment a Cold
Weather Package that consists of heated front seats, heated sideview mirrors
and a windshield deicer.
Subaru has made its mark in the U.S. automotive industry as a leader in
developing hybrid vehicles for the rapidly expanding sport utility segment.
And Subaru is still the only manufacturer to feature the active safety of
all-wheel drive on all of their vehicles sold in the U.S.
Subaru expanded the sport utility segment and redefined what a sport
utility vehicle is when it introduced the Outback as the "world's first sport
utility wagon" back in 1996. The segment was pushed further with the Impreza
Outback Sport, which combines the features of the Outback with the lessons
Subaru learned on the FIA World Rally Championship trail. Subaru has won the
FIA World Rally Championship Manufacturers' title for the third year in a row
with the Impreza.
Forester, the most recent hybrid sport utility vehicle from Subaru --
first revealed at last year's North American International Auto Show -- is
changing buyers' expectations of sport utilities by offering go-anywhere
capability with passenger car safety, comfort and economy.
The result? Outback, Outback Sport and Forester sales have combined to
eclipse 1996's dramatic sales increase for Subaru of America, Inc. which were
up over twenty percent over 1995. In 1997 Subaru had its best retail sales
year since 1988.
Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy
Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered near Philadelphia, the company
markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a
network of nearly 630 franchised dealers across the United States. All Legacy
models sold in the U.S., including the Outback and the new Legacy Sport
Utility Sedan, are produced at the company's American manufacturing plant,
Subaru-Isuzu Automotive, Inc., near Lafayette, Ind.
SOURCE Subaru of America, Inc.
