Subaru Legacy Cumulative Production Hits 3 Million Mark
Tokyo, - Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd. (FHI), a global manufacturer of transportation and aerospace-related products and the maker of Subaru automobiles, today announced that cumulative worldwide production of the Subaru Legacy1 reached 3 million units on March 14. This milestone was achieved 16 years and 4 months after the company started production of the Legacy in its Gunma Yajima Plant in November 1988.
Developed as a successor to the Subaru Leone, the first-generation Legacy was introduced in Japan in February 1989. Since its birth, the Legacy has been designed and built to ensure driving pleasure. The first-generation Legacy established a new FIA-certified, world speed record in the continuous 100,000-kilometer drive with an average speed of 223.345 km/h2, a record that still stands today, which testifies to the model’s high performance and reliability.
The Station Wagon GT, which features the distinctive design of a station wagon in combination with a high-performance engine, was introduced in Japan in 1993 and quickly gained popularity in the growing market for recreational vehicles, playing a pioneering role in Japan’s emerging market for station wagons.
In as early as September 1989, production of the Legacy began in the U.S. at Subaru Isuzu Automotive Inc. (now known as Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc., SIA). Based on the Legacy wagon and created around the concept of a crossover sport-utility vehicle, in which the best of both worlds is combined in the rugged versatility of an SUV and the comfort of a passenger car, the Outback model was introduced in the U.S. in 1995, boosting Subaru sales and elevating the Legacy to the status of a major model that has become strategically important for FHI.
Legacy Sedan RS (1989, Japan) |
Legacy Outback (2004, Japan) |
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Today, the fourth-generation Legacy continues to enjoy popularity and high acclaim from car enthusiasts. The Legacy has further improved driving performance and achieved unprecedented levels of weight reduction, while still ensuring crashworthiness in its safety performance. The current Legacy model was awarded the Car of the Year in Japan for 2003-2004. Worldwide sales in 2004 amounted to 201,645 units.
Note
1) Including Outback model.
2) In 1989, from January 2 through 21, the Legacy set a new 100,000-kilometer world speed record at the Arizona Test Center located on the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona. The 100,000-kilometer distance was covered in 447 hours, 44 minutes, and 9.887 seconds, with an average speed of 223.345 km/h; the result was certified by the Federation Internationale de L'Automobile (FIA).
[Chronology of the Legacy]
| November 1988 | Production of the Legacy starts at the Gunma Yajima Plant |
| January 1989 | The Legacy sets a new FIA-certified 100,000-kilometer world speed record with an average speed of 223.345 km/h. |
| February 1989 | Introduction in Japan |
| April 1989 | Introduction in U.S. |
| September 1989 | Introduction in Europe |
| September 1989 | Production starts at SIA |
| October 1989 | 200PS turbo-engine GT launched in Japan |
| April 1990 | Legacy enters the World Rally Championship (WRC) |
| August 1993 | Legacy wins New Zealand Rally in WRC |
| September 1993 | The second-generation Legacy ( Station Wagon) sets an FIA-certified world speed record for 1 km in the mass-produced, unmodified station wagon division at the Bonneville Speedway near Salt Lake City, Utah, with an average speed of 249.981 km/h. |
| October 1993 | The second-generation Legacy debuts in Japan |
| October 1994 | 250T version with a 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder, horizontally opposed engine added in Japan |
| June 1995 | Production of the Outback starts at SIA |
| July 1995 | Engine assembly begins at SIA |
| June 1996 | GT-B introduced in Japan, with a 280PS engine and Bilstein twin-tube shock absorber (inverted-type) |
| January 1997 | Cumulative production in Japan reaches the 1-million mark |
| April 1998 | The third-generation Legacy (Station Wagon) sets a new FIA-certified world speed record for 1 km with an average speed of 270.532 km/h. |
| June 1998 | All-new, third-generation Legacy introduced in Japan |
| December 1998 | B4 Sedan debuts in Japan |
| December 1998 | Awarded RJC New Car of the Year for 1998-99 in Japan |
| February 2000 | B4 Blitzen version introduced in Japan |
| May 2000 | Lancaster 6 with a 3-liter, 6-cylinder, horizontally opposed engine introduced in Japan |
| June 2002 | SIA celebrates the 1-million-unit milestone in its production of Subaru vehicles. |
| January 2003 | SIA is made a wholly owned subsidiary of FHI |
| May 2003 | The fourth-generation Legacy launched in Japan |
| November 2003 | Awarded the Car of the Year for 2003-2004 in Japan |
| December 2003 | Sales surpasses the 1-million mark in Japan |
| March 2005 | Production surpasses the 3-million mark worldwide |
[Breakdown of 3 million units] (as of March 14, 2005)
| Japan | SIA | Total | |
| First-generation Legacy | 620,444 | 204,168 | 824,612 | Second-generation Legacy | 495,471 | 466,354 | 961,825 | Third-generation Legacy | 434,624 | 467,447 | 902,071 | Fourth-generation Legacy | 204,776 | 106,716 | 311,492 | Total | 1,755,315 | 1,244,685 | 3,000,000 |