Subaru Aims To Lift China Sales By 30% In '09

Shanghai, February 4, 2009: (Gasgoo.com) Subaru, an auto-making division of Japan's Fuji Heavy Industries, sold 19,000 vehicles in China in 2008, up 105% year on year. Recently, Subaru China said that it aims to increase sales of Subaru cars by 31% to 25,000 units in China this year, and the annual sales will reach 35,000 units in 2010, Xinmin Evening News reported today.

The marketing and planning executive of Subaru China said that although its sales had seen rapid growth in the Chinese market, the Subaru product lineup has much to improve. The sales growth is achieved mostly by the new Forester, which accounts for more than 80% of the Subaru sales, with the other less than 20% coming from Legacy, Impreza and Tribeca.

At the end of 2008, Subaru introduced its 2009 Impreza model series into the Chinese market, hoping this standard Subaru model of excellent dynamics and maneuverability can grow faster in its China sales. Impreza and Tribeca have been the least sold Subaru cars in China, less than 10% of the total Subaru sales.

Because of control system flaws, Subaru started on Jan. 6 to recall 1,135 Tribeca SUVs it has sold in China. These Tribeca SUVs include the WXFCL5U model units and the WXF5U1H model units. On Oct. 14, 2008, Subaru also recalled 2,608 Tribeca SUVs to fix potential problems with the tie rod.

Subaru has plans to seek further growth in the Chinese market by boosting the sales of more Subaru-brand models besides Forester. The company aims to sell 25,000 cars this year and 35,000 units in 2010 in China, which is becoming the fourth largest market for Subaru.

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