Subaru has developed a plug-in electric vehicle to demonstrate its environmentally friendly focus at next week’s G8 summit in Japan.
Based on the Subaru Stella supermini, the vehicle uses the same 53bhp electronic motor used in the two seater R1e microcar concept recently trialled in London. The Stella EV seats four, has a maximum speed of 62mph and a range of 50 miles, which the manufacturer said could make it ideal for fleet users.
Subaru is supplying five to the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit, held on July 7-9, where world leaders will meet to discuss current issues, including climate change. Four will be used to transport officials and other participants to the summit, while the fifth will be displayed at the Environmental Showcase and made available for test drives.
Subaru will also supply one to the Japan Post group for use as a collection and delivery vehicle in the Toyako area during the summit.

Subaru Impreza received the highest rating in JNCAP (Japan New Car Assessment Program), Japan’s safest passenger car award for fiscal 2007.
The grand prize of JNCAP is awarded to the passenger car that gets the highest score among the top rating passenger cars in the collision safety performance test for driver’s and front passenger’s seats as well as pedestrian head protection performance test. NASVA (National Agency for Automotive Safety & Victims Aid)conducts new car assessment every fiscal year aiming to encourage the use of safe automobiles by increasing users interests of automobile safety and promote the development of safer automobiles by automobile manufacturers.
The Subaru Impreza was the only model that received the top rating for overall evaluation of collision safety performance and pedestrian head protection performance among all the automobiles tested during fiscal 2007.

The Subaru World Rally Team and STi are pleased to announce the launch date of the Impreza WRC2008. The most radically different Subaru World Rally Car in 15 years, the WRC2008 is ready to make its debut on the seventh round of this year’s World Rally Championship, the Acropolis Rally of Greece, from 29 May – 1 June.
The event will be marked by an official launch in Greece on the evening of Wednesday 28 May, prior to the start of the rally.
The new car is based on the latest road going Subaru Impreza which was introduced in June 2007. Although featuring radically new styling the Impreza WRC2008 retains the well proven Subaru horizontally-opposed turbocharged engine combined with Symmetrical All Wheel Drive. The WRC2008 will also sport a dramatic new livery created around the Subaru corporate identity but at the same time preserving the iconic blue identity familiar to rally fans worldwide.
“We are very excited to be able to launch the all-new Impreza WRC2008 ahead of schedule” said David Richards , Subaru World Rally Team principal. “It is testament to the dedication and commitment of the team behind the scenes in the UK and at STi in Japan. Just as the latest Impreza road car represents a new era for Subaru so the WRC2008 represents a new era for all of us at the Subaru World Rally Team and I am confident that we will arrive in Greece able to fight competitively.”
The team’s objective has always been to launch the WRC2008 as soon as the testing confirmed that good steps forward in overall performance had been made. We are confident that introducing the car in Greece will enable the team to be highly competitive in the second half of the season and give Petter and Chris the best opportunity to win in 2008.
A new area of the team’s website has been launched to coincide with the official unveiling, counting down to the actual launch and heralding the team’s new era whilst celebrating the Impreza’s remarkable heritage at the forefront of world rallying. At the time of the official launch on 28 May, the site will be updated with more information on the WRC2008 including facts & figures and interviews with key team personnel.

Subaru's iconic 2.5 turbocharged 'boxer' engine, currently fitted to the latest Impreza WRX and WRX STi, has won an award at the International Engine Of The Year Award 2008. This is the second time Subaru's 2.5 litre horizontally-opposed turbo-petrol engine has topped it category, beating rival engines from BMW, Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Mazda, Ford, Land Rover, Lancia, Peugeot and Citroen.

Top Gear presenters, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have named their Car of the Year for 2007. They decided to pick a car that offers practicality, style, comfort and power at an accessable price....ruling out all the Ferrari's, Lamborghini's, Koenigsegg's, Pagani's, Bugattis that you would expect to win. They settled on the new Ford Mondeo, but at the last minute added the Subaru Outback, making them joint winners of the 2007 award.

Subaru highlights at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, held in late October/early November, include a stylish seven-seater Exiga Concept car which resembles a larger Legacy estate. The Exiga Concept not only comfortably accommodates seven adults thanks to compact engine/transmission packaging but also offers exhilarating performance from its 2.0 litre turbocharged ‘boxer’ engine mated to a 5-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive transmission.
Subaru also displayed for the first time an environmentally-friendly electric car which is unusual in being a full five-seater despite compact dimensions. Called G4e Concept, it is fitted with the next generation lithium-ion batteries stored underneath the floor. Its triangle-shaped body is exceptionally attractive and Subaru’s owners, Fuji Heavy Industries, expects the car to have a 200 kilometre range per charge thanks to its light weight and high-performance, next-generation batteries.

Jeremy Clarkson, Top gear Magazine August 2007 deciding on the perfect car:

I look through the lists at the back of this magazine [Top Gear] and I can find something wrong with every single model in there. And when you think we`ve had the car for nearly 120 years, I find that a bit depressing.
But then I arrived at S, and sitting there was the Subaru Outback. I stopped for a moment and thought....Hmmm... What is a Subaru? To those in bobble hats, it is a machine that comes out of the night and spits stones into your face. To those with baseball caps, it is a fire-breathing incarnation from the pixellated world of the PlayStation, a device whose pops and bangs enliven the local supermarket car park on a Saturday night.
But then to those in hats made from tweed, it is a car for the farm, something you used to buy, until recently, from the same place you bought your seeds and plough.
To those of an Impreza disposition, its four-wheel-drive system means better donuts. To those on the farm, it means you can reach a stranded sheep when it`s two in the morning and snowing.
In town, we find the same thing. The eco-hobbits don`t realise it`s a four-wheel-drive SUV. It`s just a rather fine-looking estate car which costs less than half what you`re expected to pay for a similarly commodious Porsche Cayenne.
And to everyone, a Subaru stands as a shining beacon of hope that one day, all cars will be made this way. When you slam the door, it makes exactly the same sound as a recently shot pheasant hitting the ground, and that, as everyone knows, is one of the most satisfying noises in the world.
Plainly, this attention to detail goes further than the door though, because in every survey on reliability, Subaru always comes in the top five.
But it`s not a convertible, I hear you cry. That`s true, but the last version I drove had such a massive sunshine roof, it may as well have been.
The Outback, then, covers more of the bases for more of the time than anything else. And that`s the hardest trick of all. It`s a big, small, fast, economical, well-made, cheap, fine-handling, comfortable SUV that`s not an SUV.

Tokyo, August 9, 2007 – Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the maker of Subaru automobiles, today announced the major features of its Subaru exhibit at the 62nd International Motor Show (IAA), which will be held in Frankfurt from September 15 through 23, 2007. Highlights of the Subaru stand this year will be three new models soon to be introduced in many European countries, as well as the Subaru WRC Concept.
FHI debuts the third-generation Impreza for the European market. Developed around the concept of new and more refined designs for comfort, the Impreza will be fitted with either the 1.5-liter or the 2.0-litre engine, both of which feature Subaru Symmetrical AWD. With new exterior designs featuring substantial changes to its front, the new Tribeca, always advancing the concept of a progressive SUV, has been greatly improved. Incorporating a newly designed horizontally opposed engine, the Tribeca has skillfully combined outstanding driving performance and sophisticated styling. The new Justy is positioned as an entry-level car in Subaru’s lineup. While offering superb maneuverability and cabin roominess, the new Justy boasts exceptional fuel economy and low emission levels. The Concept Car, based on the new Impreza, conjures up images of future styling trends for a world rally car. FHI will also exhibit its horizontally opposed diesel engine, the Subaru Boxer Turbo Diesel, which FHI plans to introduce in Europe in 2008. Also on display is the Subaru R1e, an electric vehicle already in use in Japan, shown as an example of FHI’s commitment to developing environmentally friendly technologies.

Following the success of our colouring competition at the Surrey Mirror Motorshow in Priory Park, Reigate at the end of June, we decided to run it again for the Croydon Advertiser Motorshow at the end of July. We were overwhelmed by the quality and quantity of entries. James May, from the BBC2 programme Top Gear, judged the competition and picked 3 winners who each got a Subaru World Rally Team goodie bag. The winners were:
Adam Groves (aged 7), Emma Beckingham (aged 11) and Freddie Bolton (aged 13). Congratulations to all of them.

The world's first horizontally-opposed turbo diesel engine- offering exceptional refinement and smoothness- makes it's debut at the 77th Geneva International Motor Show during March 2007.
Subaru will be displaying an entire drivetrain at the show. Subaru believes passionately about 'boxer' engines which are more compact than in-line units and provide a much lower centre of gravity. This reduces body roll for safer cornering and also enhances handling precision.
The new engine will appear in the Legacy and Outback ranges early in 2008.

Subaru’s pioneering work with electric vehicles has attracted a top award from Japan’s Minister of the Environment for helping prevent global warming.
Parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, received the ‘2006 Commendation For Global Warming Prevention Activity’ award.
This is for developing the Subaru R1e electric vehicle in conjunction with Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc (TEPCO) and NEC Lamilion Energy, Ltd.
FHI was commended in the technological development and commercialisation category for the jointly-developed Subaru R1e electric vehicle and its high-speed charger.
Subaru’s 2+2 city car is light, efficient and ideal for metropolitan use with a battery which can be recharged in 15 minutes. The Subaru R1e has a 50 mile range and can be initially charged for eight hours at home then fast-charged at a supermarket, ECO station or local hospital.
The car has a 62 mph top speed, weighs just 870 kg and produces 54 PS at 6,000 rpm from its electric motor, while the battery life is at least 10 years or 124,000-plus miles.
Significantly, one of the advantages of the Subaru R1e is its fuel efficiency. Daytime charging costs are half that of a typical hybrid car and if cheaper night-time electricity is used, recharging is a staggering one-fifth less than for a hybrid.
The following innovations were highlighted by Japan’s Minister of the Environment as helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions:
i) High-density lithium-ion battery that can be quickly charged and discharged
Installed in compact high-performance electric vehicle
ii) Convenient high-speed charger able to charge the battery to 80 per cent capacity in 15 minutes
iii) Elimination of large quantity of heavy and bulky batteries
The Tokyo Electric Power Company now plans to have 3,000 electric vehicles running in the Kanagawa prefecture within five years supported by 150 fast-charge stations.
And as a consumer incentive, there will also be a 90 per cent reduction in car tax and purchase tax plus discounted parking and highway fees.
Meanwhile, Subaru aims to spread its ground-breaking technology by licensing to other manufacturers.

Subaru has announced a new limited edition Impreza WRX STi in memory of rally hero Richard Burns who died last year of cancer. Called the RB320, the new car features around £6,000 worth of extra equipment including the 320ps Prodrive Performance Pack, yet costs just £29,995otr- an increase of only £3,500.
Available in Obsidian Black Mica, the RB320 features bespoke 18 inch dark anthractite alloy wheels shod with Pirelli P-Zero Corsa Assimetrico tyres produced to Prodrive specification, and a specially developed Prodrive suspension (comprising unique Bilstein dampers specially tuned to Prodrive specification), a specially tuned Eibach sports spring kit with a bespoke Eibach rear anti-roll bar which allows the customer to fine tune the handling and a ride height lowered by 30mm at the front and 10mm at the rear.
Also standard on the RB320 are chrome mesh front grilles, front lip spoiler, quickshift gearchange, side sill plates, an RB320 branded gear knob, RB320 carpet mats and exclusive exterior badging. Each owner will also receive an individually numbered black alloy tax disc holder.

RB320 Number 001 is to be given away in a special raffle oranised by AUTOSPORT magazine, donated by Subaru (UK). The proceeds will go to the Richard Burns Foundation which helps those suffering from serious injuries and ilness. Every RB320 owner will automatically receive membership of the Richard Burns Foundation to the value of £25.00 which will be donated by Subaru (UK). Subaru rally ace Richard Burns- holder of the FIA World Rally Championship drivers title- died in November 2005 of brain cancer. He was aged just 32.

Suprise results in an investigation carried out by CNW Research, based in Oregon, shows that cars perceived by consumers to be environmentally friendly simply aren't! The 3-year investigation used a 'dust to dust' yardstick to measure the environmental impact of a vehicle from the date of its manufacture to the date it is scrapped. The investigation examined fuel consumption, and CO2 emmissions, plus energy used in the design of the vehicle and by the factory (and suppliers factories) during the vehicles production, transportation of the vehicle from the factory to the dealer, maintaining, servicing and finally scrapping the vehicle.
Vehicles that use established technologies and shared componentry, and that have a longer life cycle, fared better than many 'green' cars on the market today. Hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic IMA fared poorly in the survey because the energy used in development of the new technologies they used, added to the cost of their manufacture, and the cost associated with the disposal of items such as the batteries and electric motors, plus the use of light-weight steels and other materials used in their construction which use more energy to produce and which are harder to recycle.
The Subaru Outback was 24th, the Forester 27th and the Impreza 42nd in the survey of 96 cars. The Toyota Prius was 74th, the Honda Civic IMA was 73rd and the Volkswagen Golf was 57th!

Better known for its outstanding performance and roadholding, Subaru's iconic Impreza has won two clas categories in The Caravan Club's 'Towcar Of The Year 2007' awards. The WRX Sports Wagon beat off all challengers in both the '£20,000 to £25,000 Class' and the 'AWD Under 1,800kg Class'. Features which apealed to the experienced judges included the Impreza's symmetrical AWD system and strong pulling power. This is the 24th year of this highly-regarded competition which this year attracted 42 entries.

The all-new Subaru B9 Tribeca has been awarded another top-scoring crash test rating. The Australiasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP) has given the premium SUV a maximum 5-stars in its rigorous independant accidental assessment programme. ANCAP's 5-star overall evaluation comprised frontal and side-impact crash tests and follows a similar top rating by the American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In addition the B9 Tribeca also performed with distinction in the NHSTA's tough roll-over test, earning 4-stars.

Subaru's much admired 2.5 litre turbocharged 'boxer' engine has won the '2006 International Engine Of The Year' award. Fitted to the Forester XT, Impreza WRX and Impreza WRX STi, the engine was voted best in the 2.0 to 2.5 class.

Subaru have unveilled an exciting new concept car ahead of the Autumn 2005 Tokyo Motor Show. The B5-TPH concept car was designed around the concept theme of a car for long-weekend gataways get aways for couples. The vehicle develops the theme of crossover elements in a future car –a crossover between a gasoline engine and electric motor, and between a sport wagon and sport utility vehicle (SUV). Incorporating Subaru’s signature Symmetrical All Wheel Drive (AWD), the concept car provides an efficiency and comfort glimpse of a future sport specialty car that further enriches the efficiency and comfort.
Major features of the B5-TPH
1. The Turbo Parallel Hybrid (TPH) power train, a new AWD hybrid system, has been applied to 2.0liter Horizontally-Opposed turbo charged engine in the B5-TPH
2. By combining the electric motor and the Miller cycle boxer turbo engine (2.0L), the engine has achieved fuel economy improvements and reduced CO2 emissions. This superb, all-range performance is enabled by the motor assist feature, a motor that is designed to boost engine torque at low revolutions.
3. The vehicle promises versatile handling and maneuverability both on and rough road with its ground clearance of 200 mm and large-diameter tires.
4. The designs express the pleasure of driving, and of being driven as a passenger. Blending beautiful lines and the characteristics of the sport wagon, personal coupe and SUV, the car accentuates the crossover of its designs and function.

Tokyo, August 18, 2005 – Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd. (FHI), a global manufacturer of transportation and aerospace-related products and the maker of Subaru automobiles, today released information on its two new technological projects for future environmentally friendly vehicles: one is the Turbo Parallel Hybrid (TPH), a revolutionary powertrain system to be applied to a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) that the company plans to experimentally launch in the market in 2007; the other is the Lithium-ion capacitor (Li-ion), which is anticipated to broaden the possibilities for batteries in future automobiles. FHI has been striving to create practical applications for these environmental technologies in its future vehicles.
The TPH is a strategically important technology for the power source of clean-energy vehicles and will be incorporated with Subaru’s core technologies: the Horizontally-Opposed Engine and Symmetrical AWD system. FHI has been developing the TPH in view of its future mass production.
The TPH system places a thin, 10-kW motor generator between a vehicle’s engine and its automatic transmission. The combination of the motor generator and the boxer turbo engine, which adopts the Miller cycle, creates a system that not only provides powerful and pleasurable driving in the mid-speed ranges when turbocharger is active, as with conventional turbo models, but it also delivers excellent acceleration and fuel economy in practical use. This superb, all-range performance has been enabled by motor assist, a feature that is designed to boost engine torque at low revolutions.
Compared to the SSHEV (Sequential Series Hybrid) system that FHI had previously developed, the TPH excels in cost performance since it uses a relatively more compact motor and a smaller battery.
In order to bring out even better driving performance from the TPH, FHI is planning to equip the system with high-performance manganese lithium-ion batteries, which are currently under development at NEC Lamillion Energy Co., Ltd. That company was jointly established by NEC and FHI in 2002 for development of secondary batteries.
As for the Li-ion capacitor, its energy density has been drastically enhanced, while it retains the inherently superior capability of instantaneous charge/discharge and the high durability of regular capacitors. The Li-ion capacitor’s negative electrode uses newly developed Li-ion occlusive carbon material, while its electrolyte is also made of Li-ion. The technique called pre-doping enables occlusion of large amount of Li-ion on the negative electrode in this new capacitor, helps boost the capacity of the negative electrode, and increases the electrical potential difference, thereby making achievement of high voltage possible without deterioration in positive electrode performance.
Furthermore, the principle of the Li-ion capacitor holds the potential for greater versatility and increased performance of capacitor occlusion. Many new materials to be used for high-energy accumulation in capacitors have been tested, and some progress has been made in that area of research. The application of certain new materials to the positive electrode, combined with the pre-doping technique of the Li-ion capacitor, will theoretically double the estimated accumulation capacity of capacitors available in today’s market.