Subaru's Performance Models Experience Significant Sales Drops
Despite the abundance of attention members of the automotive media pay to performance vehicles, the truth is that they don’t sell anywhere near the numbers that more mainstream cars do. Subaru, which had seen consistent sales growth with its BRZ and WRX over the last year, is finding that out the hard way, as it recently posted numbers that don’t look great for either car.
The Subaru BRZ had a 30.9 percent drop in year-to-date sales in September, with just 2,323 vehicles delivered. The WRX is faring worse than its two-door sibling, with a 34.2 percent tumble in September, to 13,545 cars delivered. By comparison, the BRZ’s Toyota counterpart, the GR86, surged 10.4 percent during the same time, with 9,643 vehicles delivered.
Subaru blames high interest rates and a recent model-year update as factors in the disappointing results, but there are likely other reasons. The automaker dropped the popular WRX STI when it moved to the latest generation in 2022. Without a halo performance model, it leaves the WRX at a slight disadvantage among competitors, which include the Toyota GR Corolla, Honda Civic Type R, and Acura Integra Type S.
Subaru could improve the situation with exciting new models like the WRX wagons seen in other countries, but the reality is that its other models have seen similar sales declines. The Ascent fell 9.1 percent, the Impreza dropped by a little over 15 percent, and the outgoing Legacy sedan tumbled by more than 25 percent.
[Images: Tim Healey, Subaru]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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