Auto Trader California 
Known throughout the world as one of the leaders in modern vehicles, the Japanese-based Subaru car producer has grown to be one of the most recognizable vehicle brands in the world. Subaru cars are known for their style, sustainability, and low-impact on the environment; like it or not, Subaru will continue to define themselves in this light as the years tick forward. With the recent spike in popularity according to statistics from both new and used Subaru dealerships, here are six facts you may not have known about Subaru.
The History of Subaru
Subaru as we know it today was not founded until July 15, 1953. Prior to 1953, Subaru was simply the automobile division of its parent company Fuji Heavy Industries — prior to this, Fuji Heavy Industries started out as The Aircraft Research Laboratory in 1915. As of 2011 Subaru has made a name for itself as the world’s 26th largest automobile producer, proving that a mastery of flight can act as a recipe for success when it comes to the road.
The Origins of Subaru’s Name
Like the vehicles the company produces, the name Subaru is packed with layers of meaning. Subaru can be translated as the Japanese verb “to unite,” this is reflective of the company’s philosophical approach to sales and marketing and likely was a reflection of their early work on automobiles. In addition to the verbal meaning of Subaru, the word is also the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster consisting of seven stars in the Taurus constellation — interestingly enough, the actual Subaru logo which depicts this cluster of stars only has the six stars that are commonly visible, omitting the seventh star.
Roaring Subaru Inventory
Although today Subaru has marketed itself principally as a sustainable vehicle company that packs their automobiles full of safety features, many are unaware that Subaru offers turbocharged versions of their passenger cars. The Subaru Impreza that was first released in 1992 for example has a turbocharged variant known as the Impreza WRX boasts a 264 horsepower engine that helps show off Subaru’s ability to engineer with speed in mind.
The Heart of a Subaru
The one thing anyone is sure to find within a Subaru is the engine. Starting out with the original Subaru 1500 that debuted in 1954, all Subaru vehicles utilize a unique boxer engine layout. The boxer engine is so named for the horizontal movement of its pistons which resembles the jabs of a boxer; Subaru uses this style of engine because of the low center of gravity, compact design, and other benefits.
Subaru of America
In 1968, Subaru expanded into North America with its Philadelphia factory. As the years went on, more factories were built across the United States. In 2003 the Subaru plant located in Lafayette, Indiana made history by being recognized as the world’s first automobile assembly plant to achieve a zero landfill status. Following this achievement, Subaru has continued to work with their factories to spread this status throughout the company, making Subaru one of the auto leaders in environmentally friendly vehicle production.
Subaru Used Car Dealers
Subaru’s use of highly recyclable materials throughout the entire vehicle has earned the company a 97.3% recycling ratio rate for vehicles near the end of their lives; thanks to their high performance ratings many Subaru cars make their way back to used car dealerships. Many used car dealers specialize in Subarus because of their high resale value; in fact a survey of used car dealers found that Subaru has one of the highest resale values of any used vehicle.