Whether in the domestic market or in the foreign market, in the past two years, Subaru's appearance rate can be described as very small, even to the point where few people ask about it, until it was recently exposed that "due to engine sensor failure suspension of the delivery and production of three models", it has aroused industry attention.
According to foreign media reports, due to engine sensor failure, Subaru has recently suspended the shipment of three models, Forester, Outback, levorg, and has suspended the production of these three models. A Subaru spokesperson said that due to sensor problems with the CB18 engine used in these three models, it may cause the engine to fail to start, as well as flashing warning signals on the vehicle's dashboard.
On the day of the news, Subaru's stock price fell 3% in early trading in Tokyo. It is also understood that since October 2020, Subaru has sold about 54,000 cars in Japan with the defective engine, but Subaru has not yet decided whether to recall these vehicles.
At the same time, Subaru's latest sales data is freshly released, and the once proud US market sales have fallen off a cliff, and in March 2022, Subaru's US sales were only 43,300 units, down 34.1% compared with 65,700 units in the same period last year, a decline of more than 1/3.
Even if sales have fallen due to global chip shortages and supply chain disruptions, its own development problems are also to blame. Especially in the Chinese market, looking at the world, there are not many car brands that can easily "give up" the "fat meat" of the Chinese market, and Subaru is one of them.
You know, the capacity of China's automobile market is very large, so large that some car companies can accumulate sales of more than 4 million vehicles and make a lot of money; but also in the Chinese market, they can't even simply use "niche" or "marginalized" to describe subaru's existence.
In 2020, Subaru sold more than 1.07 million vehicles worldwide, most of which came from the North American market, while the Chinese market sales were only 25,000 vehicles, which was not as good as the one-month sales of a Volkswagen Langyi model; in 2021, Subaru's sales in China fell sharply to 16,900 vehicles, down 22.82% year-on-year. I can't help but ask, is subaru no longer needing the Chinese market, or does the Chinese market no longer need Subaru?
Import strategies that do not understand
Interestingly, Toyota's two sub-brands, Lexus and Subaru, both adhere to the import strategy and are never domestic. It is still understandable that Lexus, as the mainstay of the domestic second-tier luxury car camp, can continue to attract consumers with the quality of high-end luxury imported cars, but what "high-end imports" can be said of brands like Subaru that cost 200,000 to 300,000 yuan?
"I really can't understand where the significance and value of Subaru's insistence on imports is reflected, especially when the vast majority of luxury car brands have chosen to be localized, Subaru, whose market positioning is lower and the brand power is not the same, still insists on selling in the form of imported cars, which not only does not form any attraction for domestic consumers, but also leaves everyone with the impression of inflated prices." An industry veteran told Automotive Watch.
Taking subaru Aohu positioning medium-sized SUV as an example, the import price is 312,800 yuan to 330,800 yuan, which is more expensive than the starting price of the highland dual engine of the same level of more than 60,000 yuan, but whether it is product configuration, power or fuel consumption, it is not stronger than the highland double engine, and the maintenance cost of imported cars is higher, and the accessories also need to be imported, and the waiting time is longer.
On the whole, if you want to spend 300,000 yuan to buy a medium-sized SUV, it is better to buy a Honda UR-V, Toyota Crown Land, or even add some money to buy an Audi Q5 directly, who will buy Subaru Auror Tiger? No wonder Subaru's sales in China have been so dismal in the past year.
An anachronistic design aesthetic
In addition to abandoning the localization route, Subaru has many pain points, for example, the rather conservative design style does not meet the general aesthetic needs of the current young generation of consumers. Although Subaru's models have undergone several minor changes in appearance in recent years, the overall style has not changed and has not kept up with the mainstream aesthetic standards of the automotive industry.
"Subaru is more inclined to practical aesthetics, the design is relatively simple and hard-core, this design style was feasible ten or twenty years ago, but for young consumers at this stage, it is indeed a bit outdated." Especially in the interior design, whether it is Lishi, Forester or Auror Tiger, it is simply like the product of the last era, and there is no sense of modernity and luxury, not to mention the shortcomings in fashionable configuration and intelligent technology. An automotive design practitioner told Automotive Watch.
Taking Subaru's main sales model Forester as an example, the appearance is general, the interior configuration is also general, the space performance is more general, and the maintenance fee is twice as expensive as other Japanese joint venture brands, how much courage do consumers need to convince themselves to buy a Forester?
Even compared with its own brands, Subaru has lost its power in design style. As we all know, the new car-making forces that have sprung up in the car market are absolutely strong in product design, and dazzling personalized design has once become the first choice for young consumers to buy a car. All in all, compared with the competitors on the market, Subaru is not a star and a half worse in design style.
Anachronistic full-time four-wheel drive
Horizontally opposed engines and full-time all-wheel drive have long been seen as two of Subaru's unique secrets, as well as the essence of its brand. Up to now, Subaru still adheres to the whole series of four-wheel drive, and although this "technical persistence" can impress a small number of consumer groups, it is not a long-term solution.
In foreign Europe and the United States, the four-wheel drive system can still help car owners overcome poor road conditions, just like the Jeep's off-road performance and the loading capacity of Ford pickup trucks, which is also the main reason why Subaru sells relatively well in the European and American markets, but it is another matter in the Chinese market.
Because the transportation infrastructure in most parts of the country is relatively perfect, especially the vast majority of those 300,000 yuan car owners live in the urban area, but also mostly drive on the urban road, so whether from the car environment or from the car purchase psychology, four-wheel drive vehicles in China are not just needed, which also determines that the main four-wheel drive Subaru is not popular in China.
The dynamic performance of being rejected
At the same time, for consumers who still choose to buy fuel vehicles at this stage, it is natural to have certain pursuits and requirements for power, but Subaru's fuel vehicles generally have no advantage in power, which leads to many consumers who pursue automotive power are not interested in Subaru.
For example, the maximum horsepower of the Auhoo 2.5L engine is only 169Ps, and the 2.0L engine is only 150Ps horsepower, as a medium-sized SUV priced at more than 300,000 yuan, such power is really weak. To know that the "next door" Toyota Rongfang, the same is a 2.0L self-priming engine, the maximum horsepower can reach 171Ps.
Even the Subaru BRZ, positioned as a sports car, is equipped with only a 2.4-liter self-priming engine with a maximum power of only 172 kW. In addition, from the perspective of subaru's models on sale, the common denominator of XV, Forester, Auhoo and BRZ is that they are not equipped with turbocharged engines that domestic consumers generally like, but all use self-priming engines, and the power performance of these models is quite general.
It can be seen that in today's era of new energy and intelligent networked vehicles, niche fuel vehicles like Subaru lack certain market competitiveness in terms of product price, configuration or power, appearance, etc., and if they do not carry out thorough changes in the future, it will be difficult to continue to survive, and I am afraid that the day of final delisting is no longer far away, just like the original Suzuki, Renault, Acura.