This year, the Subaru brand name commemorates its 40 th anniversary.
In the very first part of our five-part Subaru Special, we start a journey through time– back to the origins of the brand name.
Who would have believed that the history of German brand names began in grocery stores?
Origin of the Subaru brand name
On October 10, 1980, Subaru Germany signed a founding agreement. The very first German business head office moves into a previous supermarket in Bad Hersfeld, Hesse. And– like it or not– from now on, all industrial activity will be managed here– within simply 200 square meters of area.
The initial design variety was extremely clear. Strictly speaking, there is just one design line, called the Subaru 1800 4WD. From January 1981, you can buy this vehicle as a sedan, station wagon and three-door SRX. Still, the technique worked. In the very first year of sales, the Japanese producer drew in around 2,600 purchasers.

Two years later on, the Subaru Libero followed. This specific vehicle with a definitely Asian look saw itself as a so-called van, had 6 seats, and likewise had great off-road qualities for its time. Naturally, the Libero likewise gets four-wheel drive.

Another year later on, Justy followed, and the little automobile was a hit in the nation. At this moment, we ‘d like to discuss that this offspring can likewise be geared up with four-wheel drive– in keeping with the brand name’s heritage. The ever-increasing variety of registrations passed the 10,000- system mark in 1985.

In the very same year, 5 years after the starting of Germany, modest area capability was tired, and action followed. They remained in the exact same federal state and relocated to the brand-new head office in Friedberg. Ever since, the brand name has actually had the ability to develop around 55,000 square meters of land in Germany, which stays the brand name’s home office. Subaru Deutschland GmbH
Where does the name Subaru really originate from?
To do this, we need to go back one action–1953 That was the year Fuji Heavy Industries was developed, and a year later on, the very first model automobile, the P1, was born. To date, the business’s vehicle department has no name.

The very first president of Fuji Heavy Industries fasted to come up with the name “Subaru” as the business included 6 reorganized business previously part of the Fuji Sanyo Group. “Pleiades” indicates “unity” in Japanese and is likewise the name of the Pleiades star cluster. Those 6 stars can still be discovered on the business logo design today.
Subaru Germany– very first dealership
Almost at the very same time the business was established in Germany, Hans Willibald (then a hunter in Bad Tölz) was searching for an ATV that likewise looked great on the roadway. Not an issue from today’s viewpoint, it was a huge obstacle at that time.

Anyway, he stumbled upon a Subaru 1800 4WD that wasn’t readily available in Germany at the time, which he imported from Switzerland. It turned out later on. Due to the fact that Hans Willibald thought in innovation and reliability, he chose to end up being a full-fledged agreement partner after beginning operate in Germany.
Like his brand name, he likewise remained real to the old virtues and stays an authorized dealership to this day. Interested celebrations can still configure their brand-new Subaru south of Bad Tölz, order it and have it serviced routinely.

BTW: Exactly 10 years after its beginning, on October 10, 1990, there were currently over 100,000 Subaru lorries signed up. Another 18,677 systems were included 1991, which likewise represented an all-time high for the year.
Introducing four-wheel drive
With the intro of four-wheel drive in Germany, Subaru still has a terrific track record to this day. Unique designs such as the Legacy or the famous Subaru WRX STI, we have actually had the ability to evaluate, play and still contribute that can not be overlooked.
But anybody who believes this is simply something is incorrect. With the Subaru BRZ, the Japanese developed an active sports coupe with rear-wheel drive just.

But stay with the realities, Subaru isn’t the world’s biggest four-wheel-drive car manufacturer. Specifically over the previous couple of years, the brand name has actually been additional establishing its Symmetrical AWD.
We’ll tackle this quad in the next installation of the Subaru Special. It’s still amazing.
Text: NewCarz/ Photos: NewCarz/ Subaru
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