Catalog Subaru 2024

The Subaru car brand should be called not just famous, but cult. It is difficult to imagine a car enthusiast who has never heard of this brand, which had a huge impact on the development of the automotive industry in general and motorsport in particular. It has her truly loyal fans all over the world.

Subaru's history began in 1953, when Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) was founded. However, it would be more correct to say that it was not founded, but revived. The fact is that the roots of this company go back to the very beginning of the 20th century, when the Nihon Hikoki company was founded in 1918, later renamed Nakajima Aircraft Company. Being one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the country, it actively collaborated with the Imperial Army. After Japan's defeat in World War II, the company was reorganized into Fuji Sangyo Co, Ltd., whose main product was the Fuji Rabbit scooter, launched in 1946. In a war-torn country, this type of transport was extremely popular.

In 1950, Fuji Sangyo splits into 12 small companies. But in 1953, five of them decided to merge again (later the number increased to six), which resulted in the emergence of Fuji Heavy Industries. Subsequently, these six companies will be depicted as six stars on the recognizable Subaru logo. For some time, FHI was engaged in the production of a wide variety of products, from hand tools to automobile engines. Then the company's management decided to create their own car. This is how the model with the simple name P-1 appeared.

The name Subaru (the Japanese name for the Pleiades constellation) appeared in 1958, when the Subaru 360 car was introduced to consumers, which was nicknamed the “ladybug” due to its small size and characteristic shape. Inexpensive, easy to manufacture and very efficient, this model was produced for over 11 years, making FHI a successful car manufacturer. This was followed by other, no less popular models, most of which were compact in size. It was Subaru that introduced the world's first mass-produced front-wheel drive car (Subaru 1000) and the world's first all-wheel drive passenger car (Subaru Leone 4WD). The latter was used for the first time for the company in rally racing, with which the brand is strongly associated today. Since 1980, Subaru has already regularly participated in WRC racing. And although the first successes were rather limited, the emergence of more and more new successful models made the brand’s cars a real racing legend. In 1988, a sports division, Subaru Tecnica International Inc., was created.

As has happened more than once in history, the popularity of the brand led to the company changing its name as a result. In this case, it happened in 2017, when Subaru Corporation appeared in the world instead of Fuji Heavy Industries. In addition to vehicles, the brand also produces a wide range of related products, such as oils and coolants.