Happy 70th birthday, Subaru. The Japanese all-wheel drive specialist just celebrated this milestone exactly on July 15.
Subaru Corporation traces its roots back to the Aircraft Research Laboratory established in 1917, which later became Nakajima Aircraft Co. Ltd. After a series of reorganizations, Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. was established on July 15, 1953, which was later renamed to its current name, Subaru Corporation, on April 1, 2017.
Its name is derived from the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster in the constellation of Taurus. It is called “Mutsuraboshi” (Six Stars) in Japan.
Since its founding, the company has expanded into a variety of businesses with automotive as its primary business. Other businesses include aerospace, industrial products, eco-technologies, bus manufacturing, and prefabricated housing businesses. Today, automotive and aerospace are the two pillars of the company’s business.
In the automotive business, the company introduced its first vehicle in 1958, the Subaru 360, a minicar designed to fulfill the Japanese government’s concept of a “people’s car.” Since then, Subaru has continued to deliver distinctive technologies and products such as the Leone, Japan’s first mass-produced all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicle; the Legacy, which led the station wagon boom; the EyeSight advanced driver-assist system; and the Subaru BRZ sports car and Solterra battery-electric SUV, both co-developed with Toyota Motor Corporation, bringing new value to customers in response to, and sometimes ahead of, the times.
Over the years, Subaru has received strong support from customers around the world, marking cumulative AWD production of 20 million units in 2021 and cumulative global sales of 5 million EyeSight-equipped Subaru vehicles in 2022.
In the aerospace business, since the first flight of Japan’s first jet plane, the T-1, in 1958, the company has been enhancing its technologies by participating in domestic aircraft development programs and international joint development programs. Subaru will continue to grow with three core businesses: defense programs, commercial programs such as the Boeing 787, and helicopter programs such as the UH-2.
Brief history of Subaru Corporation:
- 1917: Chikuhei Nakajima establishes the Aircraft Research Laboratory.
- 1918: The Aircraft Research Laboratory is renamed Nakajima Aircraft Factory (later incorporated as Nakajima Aircraft Co., Ltd. in 1931).
- 1945: Nakajima Aircraft Co., Ltd. is reorganized as Fuji Sangyo Co., Ltd. and shifts from aircraft manufacturing to the production of civilian goods.
- 1950: In accordance with the Company Reorganization Act, Fuji Sangyo Co., Ltd. is divided into 12 companies, including Fuji Kogyo, Fuji Jidosha Kogyo, and Utsunomiya Sharyo.
- 1953: Five of the 12 companies, including Fuji Kogyo, contribute capital to establish Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (Fuji Heavy Industries later acquires and merges with the five companies in 1955).
- 2017: Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. is renamed Subaru Corporation.
Will the Boxer engine live on for another 70 years?
ReplyDeleteMaybe an electric boxer
Delete@Freedom I would love to see one someday. An idea of having a electric Boxer motor would depend on Subaru's decision if they are going to develop one.
DeleteMaybe following the footsteps of the likes of Nissan Kicks or Mazda MX-30. Boxer engine as a generator.
DeleteSubaru cars are excellent! Better than any chinese garbage cars, that’s for sure!
ReplyDeleteI deeply expect that Nissan used to do business in Subaru, between 1969 to 1999, since it may be the factor how it helped popularise Subaru and its cars but however most of these achievements are were only confined in the North American market because Nissan (especially when it was called "Datsun") knew that its ownership in Subaru had helped the former to expand the latter's sales networks throughout North America as when Nissan (Datsun) that time was one of Japan's biggest carmakers globally — especially at the same time when Toyota (which later owns Subaru from 2005-present) was already soaring and 'Merican motorists struggle to find something they wish to drive more hence all of them were either big USA three brands (Ford, General Motors/Chevrolet, Chrysler now Stellantis North America) or European brands. (But nevertheless Subaru in NA is known deeply as a car preferred mostly by aesthetically erotic women who could just refuse to buy racist, mediocre, sexist and reactionary cars from Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen AG, BMW, Volvo and other Euro car manufacturers but also Subaru isn't even doing well in Thailand either so maybe when only Thai folks boycott Benz, VW/VAG, BMW, Volvo, Peugeot/Stellantis then Subaru is not what the Thais could buy since there is already Mazda and Nissan too.)
DeleteWell done Subaru on the incredible milestone. I'm sure the brand will last long for another 70 years thanks to the evolving technology they are developing.
ReplyDeleteIts good na dina kasali c kuchi dito, at least pepol here can now have decent exchanges of ideas. But am sure he will make an attemp to comeback in other form or another😁😁😁
ReplyDeletesiguro na baka bumalik yun pero baka na ip banned na ata Yun c kuchi888
DeleteCongrtas Subaru!!! Cheers for another 30 Years of Milestone to the Centennial Anniversary in 2053!
ReplyDelete