TOKYO, May 20, 2009 (Kyodo News International - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. launched Wednesday its fully remodeled Subaru Legacy series of bigger and more powerful cars, while President Ikuo Mori said the automaker is planning to roll out a hybrid car as early as 2011 to meet stricter environmental regulations.
The automaker will start selling the fifth-generation Legacy series in the United States in the summer and other parts of the world later in the year. It aims for monthly sales of 3,000 units in Japan and 15,000 units globally, half from the U.S. market.
The full-model change for the Legacy series, which debuted in 1989, is the first in six years and comes at a time when consumers are flocking to fuel-efficient and compact cars amid the global economic downturn.
"We will of course develop cars such as hybrids and electric vehicles, but for this Legacy, our aim was to improve fuel efficiency while creating a car that can satisfy customers with a better driving experience," Mori said at a press conference in Tokyo.
Mori separately told reporters that the company hopes to release a gas-electric hybrid, around the same time that it will roll out a clean diesel car around 2011-2012, with the help of its top shareholder Toyota Motor Corp.'s cutting-edge hybrid technology.
The new Legacy Touring Wagon series, slightly bigger than its previous models for interior comfort, is equipped with a 2.5 liter engine and is priced between 2.36 million yen and 3.44 million yen in Japan. The B4 sport sedan series costs between 2.21 million yen and 3.29 million yen while the new sports utility vehicle Outback series is priced between 2.68 million yen and 3.70 million yen.
In addition to main markets in Japan and the United States, which have been hit by plummeting auto demand, Mori said he hopes to expand sales of the Legacy cars in emerging markets such as China and Russia.
source: tmcnet
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