AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY – JULY 7, 1953 – SUBARU IS ESTABLISHED
Subaru?(スバル)?(/?su?b?ru?/?or?/s??bɑ?ru?/;?Japanese pronunciation:?[?s?ba??])?is the?automobile manufacturing division?of Japanese?transportation?conglomerate?Subaru Corporation?(formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the?twenty-first largest automaker?by production worldwide in 2017.
Subaru cars are known for their use of a?boxer engine?layout in most vehicles above 1500?cc. The?Symmetrical All Wheel Drive?drive-train layout was introduced in 1972. Both became standard equipment for mid-size and smaller cars in most markets by 1996. The lone exception is the?BRZ, introduced in 2012 via a partnership with Toyota, which pairs the boxer engine with?rear-wheel-drive. Subaru also offers?turbocharged?versions of their passenger cars, such as the?WRX,?Legacy?and?Outback?XT,?Ascent, and formerly the?Legacy GT?and?Forester XT.
In Western markets, Subaru vehicles have traditionally attracted a small but devoted core of buyers. The company's marketing targets those who desire its signature engine and drive train, all-wheel drive and rough-road capabilities, or affordable sports car designs.
Subaru?is the Japanese name for the?Pleiades?star cluster M45, or the "Seven Sisters" (one of whom tradition says is invisible – hence only six stars in the Subaru logo), which in turn inspires the logo and alludes to the companies that merged to create FHI.?