New Subaru Model Sales Slide Again, Skids To Finish The Year

Subaru reports another sales drop in December to finish a challenging year. See which models are down and the models that finished the year in the black.

Subaru is happy to see 2021 go as the new 2022 Forester, Outback, and Crosstrek and other new model sales take a dive in December to finish the year. The continuing downturn resulted from the global microchip shortage that has plagued the auto industry all year.

In December, Subaru of America reports a sales dip of 19.5 percent with 51,146 new model sales. The Camden, N.J. automaker's sales fell 4.6 percent, with 583,810 vehicles delivered to customers for the year. Subaru says, "These results are reflective of the impact the semiconductor shortage has had on the automobile industry."

"2021 was a challenging year for the automotive industry, and our Subaru retailers rallied to achieve solid results," said Jeff Walters, Senior Vice President of Sales.

Forester was the top performer in 2021

The 2022 Subaru Forester dropped 13.0 percent with 13,930 models sold and finished the year as the top-selling model in the lineup with 154,723 models delivered to customers. The 2022 Subaru Outback dropped 26.8 percent with 12,643 models sold and finished the year as the second best-selling model in the lineup with 154,623 models delivered to customers, just 100 units short of the Forester.

The Crosstrek has been setting records all year and dropped 36.5 percent, with 9,494 models sold. The refreshed Crostrek finished the year as the third best-selling model in the lineup, with 127,466 models delivered to customers in 2021. The Crosstrek subcompact SUV and Outback midsize SUV were the only SUVs in the lineup to finish 2021 ahead of 2020, up 6.5 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively. The Forester was down 12.6 percent and Ascent down 11.3 percent.

The WRX, WRX STI, and BRZ finish the year strong

The 2021 Subaru WRX and WRX STI were up 28.2 percent for the year and the only nameplate in the lineup with a double-digit increase to finish 2021. The redesigned 2022 BRZ sports coupe achieved its best December ever with 1,069 models delivered to customers and was up 2.3 percent in 2021.

What's in store in 2022?

Walters said," For 2022, we're confident our production capability will improve." Tom Doll, President and CEO of Subaru of America, says, "We look forward to improving conditions in 2022 which should allow us to return to growth mode."

While 2021 was a challenging year for the Camden, N.J. automaker, Walters says, "An exciting lineup of new vehicles, including the all-new Wilderness models in the 2022 Forester and 2022 Outback carlines, the all-new 2022 BRZ and 2022 WRX, as well as the first-ever Subaru EV, the 2023 Solterra, continues to build enthusiasm and interest in Subaru."

2022 Subaru Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, and other new model sales dive in December to finish a challenging year. Check out the link below to see what's coming in 2022.

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Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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