Subaru Impreza diesel delayed for the UK
In this installment of "As the Yen Skyrockets," Autocar is reporting that the introduction of the long-awaited Subaru Impreza diesel has been delayed indefinitely due to unfavorable exchange rates. A source inside International Motors, the firm that imports Subarus into the UK, told Autocar, "At the current rate we would have to charge vastly more than we can justify for the diesel Impreza if we were to make a profit. As a result we can't guarantee when the car will go on sale as we can't predict when the economy will change."
Both Toyota and Honda are facing the same problem, with Honda CEO Takeo Fukui going so far as to threaten moving Honda's headquarters outside of Japan. Analysts predict that the yen could begin to sink in the coming weeks, but if the market doesn't correct itself, the Japanese government might have to intervene and begin devaluing its currency.
[Source: Autocar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
G-Meister 7:16PM (12/23/2008)
Hm- Subaru Deutschland still promises to start shipping Impreza Diesels next month- not sure what would need "changing" that wasn't already done for the German market car, except maybe an exhaust manifold or 2
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Gary 11:46PM (12/23/2008)
Maybe the U.S. government should be devaluing the dollar to protect its own home-grown auto industry as well?
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Kumar 9:07AM (12/24/2008)
That probably IS what the feds were thinking (us exports in general) a few years back. We all know how well that has worked out so far... :/
wez 1:25AM (12/24/2008)
From what I understand in the upper models the diesel in subaru's is nothing to write home about. Mileage isnt bad but lacks torque.
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Kumar 9:11AM (12/24/2008)
You're possibly not reading the same reviews as everyone else, or you are the perfect buyer for the BMW 3 diesel with monster torque coming soon?
The rest of use want a competent car with good mpg. 150 horses and 200 something in torque works for me, as I'm perfectly fine with my 170 or so of both in my outback right now.
Lets hope for everyone's sake that more manufacturers can bring the smaller diesels over, instead of pushing the larger ones on us in overpriced model ranges.
FENNIX 8:00PM (12/25/2008)
yes! YES! YES! Bring it here, I'll buy it today, have been waiting for soooo long now! I've been waiting for this car to show up on our shores! I only hope and know Subie, they didn't use that stupid rubber that desolves in veggie oil! Like Issiu's /GM duratec diesel in the 2500. My friend used some of our veggie brew and leaked fuel all over his 2500.
Diesels r the true hybrids! If we all use reclaimed veggie oil, so much of it gets thrown away, we could cut any dependancy on Opec's hold on our heads & pocket books. In Japan this Diesel is very popular!
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