Subaru Sales Up 17% in October; Best October Total Sales in 14 Years

CHERRY HILL, N.J., Nov. 1 -- Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA), a pioneer of crossover all-wheel drive vehicles designed for the active lifestyle, announced today total sales of 17,442 units for the month of October, up an impressive 17% from 2000 figures for the same period. The October total is the latest chapter in the Subaru success story for 2001, and the eighth consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases for the Subaru brand.

``October was another tremendous month for Subaru with our best total sales result in 14 years,'' said Subaru Executive Vice President, Fred Adcock. ``Most telling, we were able to achieve this impressive result by staying true to our core strategy of all-wheel drive, all-weather performance vehicles designed for the active lifestyle -- a testament to the strength of the Subaru brand. Overall, Subaru is up 7% for 2001, and we anticipate a strong end to the fourth quarter.''

Subaru Legacy established a new total sales record for October with 8,991 units posted, up 8% from the same period last year. Subaru Outback achieved a sales total of 6,451 units, an increase of 6% from the October 2000 tally. Subaru Impreza continued its record sales pace with 3,507 total units posted in October, up a remarkable 116% from October 2000 and an October best for this model. Overall, Impreza sales are up 76% for the year with 28,791 total units recorded. Subaru Forester achieved a sales total of 4,944 units in October, off slightly from last year's total of 4,969 units.

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Subaru pioneered the concept of the passenger car/sport-utility vehicle with the introduction of the Subaru Outback, the ``World's First Sport Utility Wagon.'' The Subaru Legacy (including Outback models) is the best-selling All-Wheel Drive car sold in America, based on the Polk Company retail registration statistics as of 12/31/00.

Headquartered near Philadelphia, the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of 582 dealers across the United States. All Legacy and Outback models sold in the United States are produced at the Subaru-Isuzu Automotive Inc. manufacturing plant near Lafayette, Ind. Over the past eight years, the company has achieved year- over-year retail sales increases thanks to its popular line of car-based sport utility vehicles, and is among the fastest growing brands in the automobile industry.

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