HOWY

Have just heard that Robert Bowett in Leeds are to stop selling new subarus they have only been selling them for a short while. They say that they are having difficulty selling them but will still do servicing and used sales. They obviously don't think its worth waiting for the MY08 either

monkeysan

dealership in Middleborough are dropping Subaru like a lead baloon too

Prince Popeye

hardly a surprise considering how ugly these cars have become. Maybe they should have kept the design on the classic rather than making it look like the front end of a Leon Cupra.

v8voodoo

Barretts in Canterbury did the same thing some time last year.

a_fisher

I think this is the point in the MY08 isn't it.
I read an article that had a point i had never even thought of. The 'sporty' models (GTi etc) are not meant to out sell the regular models. They are there to sell a few and get good brand status. The majority of money comes from the regular models (far bigger market), well over 90% in most cases. Even Mitsi have it right with the majority of their sales coming from regular cars, not the evo...

I love my impreza, i'd always go for sporty model. But it seems that subaru has got their marketing a bit wrong (here in europe anyway, i can't speak for japan etc)

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

barely anybody was even aware of Subaru as a brand until the Impreza turbo hit these shores. Maybe it's done it's job? My personal opinion is that the Impreza in particular has failed to move on. Yes big wings, flares, slashes were great in 2000 but not now. They needed to keep the principles and go sleek and stylish with underlying performance and reliability.

Microstar

In most world markets the Impreza turbo models act as 'halo' models and sales of non-turbo versions are much higher. The Impreza turbo market is a niche market - few people want the high running costs associated with it in the UK. Subaru need to expand sales of non-turbo models and compete with the likes of Mazda etc - which I guess is what the MY08 is supposed to do.
The Legacy also sells well in some markets, and I reckon its a really nice motor, but there is no awareness of it in the UK, everyone associates Subaru with the Impreza turbo.

Other negative factors for Subaru UK are very high parts prices and high general repair costs, and also undermining of new car sales by importers bringing new cars in from places like Malta, thus hitting dealer profitability.

sandycam

iTrader: (1)

maybe its you thats moved on rather than the brand? eg most people liked having a car very similair to the world rally car before all the chavs etc got them lol! Subarus never had the principle of sleek and stylish and going by the my08 never will imho.

a_fisher

Fair point. Now that its a known brand here, it's a perfect time for them to compete in the 'regular sales' market and not just performance. Maybe it'll bring the prices of our parts down too

stilover

To do that though, they need a good looking stylish car. Everything the new Impreza is not

Expect a rushed facelift very soon. Just like they did with the Bug Eye.

Subaru have not learnt from past mistakes.

The new Impreza or a new Focus/Astra/3 series/Golf/A3 etc, etc.

I'd choose them all, before the new ugly Impreza.

bibo_boy

Even though I think the new 08 Impreza is "OK", I really think they have made a big mistake not producing the booted version here....?

Why sell it in the U.S. but not here? Will it be sold in Japan? If so it will flood UK with imports.

pslewis

Max Power Magazine has seen its circulation drop from 210,000 to just 70,000 in the last few years.

The Hot Hatch is dead, modified cars are dead, the times are a changin' ....

Subaru have got it right with the MY 08 - we are a very small market and getting smaller ...... people nowadays want mpg, not BHP.

The BoyRacers are no more ......

Dan W

Not quite true that modifying is dead, its evolving. Admittedly the market may become smaller but it will never die out. Things like this never do.

I don't really think that the boy racers are no more either... I never was one nor am one. I am a car enthusiast and a 35 year old one at that. I like to give my car a healthy outing from time to time and I have to say the roads here in Wales are perfect. Perhaps sales of max power are down because the audiences are not neccessarily leaving the market but are refining their tastes and buying the magazines that reflect the shift. Just a thought . . . I don't know

Dan W

Just like to add that with regards to people wanting MPG instead of BHP I can't disagree as I don't know.

But during the early seventies in America the car manufacturers decided to focus on MPG instead of BHP in the false belief that the performance car era was at a close. Plus oil might be running out. Ever since there has been a lively interest in the cars from those days 1964-1970-71. Now more Muscle cars are being built than any other time since then.

The aim of the Muscle cars during the late sixties was to give Joe average a performance car at a premium and they got it bang on for the times. Pontiac sold non-warrantied upgraded engine parts called Super Duty that were designed to be put on the vehicle purely to go racing at the weekend. They came with instructions stating that they were for racing only and would wreck the motor if you tried to do normal driving with them in. I could go ono and on.

The entrance into the british market of the Japanese performance car does exactly the same thing - provides supercar performance for relatively little cost. Now if history repeats itself and we see the death of cars that can be modded to the hilt the manufacturers will forever regret it until eventually returning to producing cars you can mod. Thats why I can't see it happening. Granted the issue is all about oil which may or may not run out.

I care about MPG but I care about BHP more.

lordretsudo

Is that for definite? I hadn't heard it, but it'll be a pain if true. I wouldn't get my car serviced there, but it's useful for parts, otherwise I'll have to drive to Richmond for touch-up paint, etc...

As for people caring more about mpg than bhp these days, somehow I don't think that's true of any genuine car enthusiast, let alone sports car enthusiasts . I don't see many Ferrari owners complaining about mpg...

topguntone

The issue here is that this bolshy japanese car maker does not listen to its loyal customers and buyers. It thinks it can stick its designers in a cupboard full of smack, leave then in there for a few months and let them out to sit at their computers and create the crap that their drug snorting antics are now creating. Not even doing well in the WRC will wash with me anymore!

The cars are going backwards in design and aggressive elegance whereas the competitors are staying ahead of the game. Its as simple as that. They think that they can build any old mess and people with buy them, well even in this brand guilty country it will never wash with me. I got a P1, a pretty, compact yet aggressive looking car. Its the last subaru i will buy unless they start getting their heads out of their *****, and start creating things that people will actually be happy to have on their drives.

tgt

fivetide

iTrader: (1)

The impreza is not an expensive car though - unfortunately, inside that comes across. it is very old school japanese with inexpensive plastics and not the best interior. When they were launched the motor was a belter and the AWD got a lot of people going. Winning rallies sold a lot of cars, especially with a UK driver.

Now though apart from the very high end stuff the performace isn't as far in front of the competition. The Evo is much more niche with the servicing and purchse costs far exceeding the impreza.

The wrx and sti are still good cars but there will only ever be a niche market for these vehicles. IMHO they should be making them more Evo and concentrating on making the base models a lot lot better than they are. Presently the wrx and sti are neither one thing nor the other, too poor spec to be supercars or attract the big money, too expensive for the ordinary punter. The money has to be in a 1.6 sensible car which i think they are trying to do with the 08 cars. unfortunately they haven't elevated the sporty versions like Mitsi did with the Lancer/Evo.

5t.

Hoppy

Pete Lewis reading Max Power! Dirty old bugger

But he's right, sales of all modding car mags have plummeted - a combination of the impact of the internet on all magazines, plus maxxed up cars are just not fashionable now. It goes in generation cycles. Anyone remember Street Machine? That ultimately evolved into Max Power. Who knows what comes next, but as long as boys have ***** they will always want flash cars.

As for the Impreza, it has a unique status here. I was in Israel recently, and the place is full of Imprezas - thousands of them them. All white, all automatics, and I didn't see a single turbo model. I don't think Subaru has a sales problem worldwide - it's a very practical car for very many countries with variable climate and terrain, with four-wheel drive and four doors.

Classic Impreza - the new Lancia Integrale? Suits me

Richard.

Barmyclown

Another thing that could be killing sales of the newer imprezas is the £400 a year car tax bill you will be getting. Which is a lot for a £20,000 car, especially when you can go out and buy something just as quick cheaper and without the massive tax bill every year. Espcially with mortgage rates going up.

Jase

Petem95

Classic was a performance bargain at the time.

Bug eye looked complete ****e and they rapidly rushed in the next model

Blob eye looked like things were back on track, but resale values of Subarus had already collapsed at this point.

Hawk eye just looks like complete cr@p - even chav rear lights as standard...

MY08.. who cares? Will anyone actually buy one and watch it 1/2 in value in less than a year?

RIP Subaru - killed by failing to adapt to changing market, and becoming chav-scum's car of choice.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Ok, the new impreza, seen it in the flesh? so no comment there then
Facelift? nope, there is no problem with the MY08 car.
Subaru have learnt from past mistakes, stronger engines, gearboxes, increased reliability, better brakes, better safety, better handling, what more do you want?
As for looking like its main stream competitors, well the classic looked like an old toyota corolla so no problems there most other new shaped cars look similar, the golf to the focus etc, so no change there either

Scary but i have to agree with Pete in part on this

I would also like to see the saloon version over here, but the focus is on the hatch which will be used for rallying

I agree that the classic was a performance bargain when it came out, most cars of that era were around the 200bhp mark for a turbo, 150bhp for a n/a, no big powered 200bhp 2ltr n/a cars, so yes it even looked good, just not anymore.....
The Bug wasnt that bad, it had looks that were.... unusual, then again so did the ford sierra, that sold sod all in its first year, what an icon that car became!
Resale values.... its called supply and demand, you flood the market with a car and the prices drop, the only reason this didnt happen with the classics back in the 90's was the limited ammount that were allowed into this country, no other reason, the car market has always been a killer for cars under 3 years old.
The hawkeye doesnt look crap, it still sells well, just ask the owners who have had all 4 different models (classic, bug, blob and hawk) I think they will tell you that its the best one so far
MY08, no problems with this car, if you dont like it, dont buy it, the fact is that its going to be better than its predecessor, it will grow on people when they see it in the flesh, just like the ugly classic did, but you wouldnt want a classic sitting in your drive now, it looks very dated.
RIP Subaru? why? they still sell alot of cars, they are making their cars for a wider market, not just that small corner for turbocharged performance cars, they have to adapt which they have done, if you want to go to Renault, GM, Ford, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, VW, SEAT, Audi, BMW (ok you getting that part ) then do so, you have a wide choice of vehicles to pick from out there that suit your changing needs.

Tony

stara

wow, the arrogance amazes me, the UK is a superficial nation of self indulged wannabes, one of the previous posters declares that the current model is complete crap, based on what or who's standards? the reason subaru is losing interest in the UK market is because of people like the impreza haters. Why indulge the UK when they can make their money elsewhere, don't blame Subaru, the impreza has never ever been a premium brand, or has never tried to compete with the M3, S4 et al, it just has phenomenal performance for the money, the WRX version of the MY08 is available, but not the UK, why? perhaps Subaru have had enough of being told they are **** by people who want an M3 for half the cost.

LordOfTheRings

subaru need to make their non STI models more appealing for the mass market. as soon as they have done that they will be on the road to recovery.

Barmyclown

Exactly, and if you are one of those people, why do own an impreza and what the chuffing hell are you doing on here. Go out and buy a second hand M3 if that`s what you want. The big plus point of the impreza is the accessories list, what other car can you get a warrentied 40+ HP increase over the standard car, or suspension tuned by one of the best motorsport institutions in the world, without doing a single lap of the nurburgring, and handling better for it, British B roads are some of the greatest handling tests for a car in europe.

Matteeboy

I really like Subarus - made well, go well, good heritage but they have always been pretty ugly and the new hatch looks downright terrible.
The new Forester is also one of the ugliest cars on the road - How could it look worse than the old one? No problem, just get a Subaru designer to make sure!

They also will not move away from thirsty boxer petrols - Great but always bad on fuel.

I feel they aren't moving with the times and I will always like them but fear their demise.

Meanwhile the Evo has moved with the times and the X looks pretty damn special.

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

I agree 100%. When I bought my MY00 it was a great car, way ahead of the competition - though 4 1/2 years (and one new engine) later, it was starting to feel a bit dull.

So, I changed it for an '05 JDM STI, which was a much better car on paper, but I never really got on with it - too single-minded, really not that good unless being driven hard. I had it 18 months and it took ages to sell, and I lost a fortune. With hindsight it was a huge mistake, really.

So, now I have a BMW 330D - around 200bhp and 300 lb.ft of torque, proper rwd handling, much more comfortable, vastly better build quality, and 40mpg+. I look at the '06 and '07 Imprezas with their standard chav lights and feel like, rather than missing out, I had a lucky escape.

danfranklin1

I know, was out there myself and every one of them I saw was a battered 1.6 'classic'. Irratating it was too - when I proudly told my brother-in-law who lives there I'd bought a new car... an Impreza... he basically laughed and said in Israel they're just regarded as cheap & cheerful runabouts. And I think the same is true in most other countries Subaru operate in. Which - as has been stated - is probably what they're trying to do in not introducing the WRX to the UK & generally softening down the 'hot' Imprezas.

LordOfTheRings

A MTM'd audi

noobscoob

Lol the hot hatch is dead my ****. the hot hatchbacks and performance models are being churned out more and more now than ever. back in the early 80s the supposed hot hatch era you could buy an xr2,golf gti,xr3i and a few hot pugs and the humble astra gte 1.8.and that was about it!!

now you can buy a bloody zafira people carrier with over 240 bhp all suited and booted in its sunday go faster finest!! vxr,cupra,st,rs,vrs,gti,wrx,evo,vts,type r,czt,renaultsport,t sport,m series and audi s models(plus the ones i forgot about). yeah..it looks like the hot hatch and performance car is finished. not!!!!!

scubasteve

Was the classic ever good looking