Subaru Is Back To Its Winning Ways With Only 2 Hot Models - One Is Not The Crosstrek

Subaru of America is back to its winning ways, and it happened with only two SUVs that were up in percentage of sales over last year. The Subaru Forester and Outback were the top sales leaders, and surprisingly, it was not the Subaru Crosstrek having all the success. 

Subaru of America announced sales in August, increasing thirteen consecutive months. Subaru's all-new models, like the 2024 Crosstrek and 2024 Impreza, are arriving now,  but they are not the best-selling models, and both have decreased sales compared with last year's models. The Forester and Outback have yet to receive complete remodels, yet they are on top. 

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Here is what happened in the last twelve months and the first eight months of 2023. Subaru of America reported its 13 consecutive months of increased sales, with 56,407 vehicles delivered to customers in August 2023, a 12.5 percent increase compared with August 2022 (50,126). SOA also reported year-to-date sales of 410,888, a 15.6 percent increase compared to 2022.

"We're capping off a strong and memorable summer with August marking 13 consecutive months of increased sales thanks to the exceptional efforts of our Subaru retailers," said Jeff Walters, President and Chief Operating Officer, Subaru of America.

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Subaru Forester is the surprise top model in sales again.

Just as in July, the 2023 Subaru Forester compact SUV is again the number-one selling all-wheel-drive model for Subaru of America. The Forester was up an impressive 45.9 percent, the most significant percentage of increase of any model. 

SOA delivered 15,294 Forester models to customers compared with 10,477 in August 2022. Forester is now up 31.7 percent in the first eight months of 2023. Forester has 91,108 models sold in 2023 and remains in third place overall.

Outback is in second place in August but still leads for the year.

The 2023 Subaru Outback midsize SUV is the second-place performer in the lineup, increasing 32.7 percent in August, with 14,503 models sold compared with 10,928 in August 2022. Outback is now up 11.7 percent in the first eight months of 2023. Outback still leads all other models this year, with 108,336 midsize SUVs delivered to customers in 2023.

Subaru Crosstrek steps back from its torrid pace.

As Subaru changed the model to the all-new 2024 Crosstrek, sales of the subcompact SUV dropped again. Crosstrek was down 7.9 percent in August. Subaru delivered 13,920 Crosstrek subcompact SUVs to customers in August compared with 15,126 in August 2022. 

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The Crosstrek is up 2.0 percent for the year's first eight months. Crosstrek is still second in the lineup behind Outback year to date, with 101,291 models sold in 2023. Look for the Crosstrek to rebound as the next-generation models arrive now and the all-new 2024 Crosstrek Wilderness arrives this fall. 

The Ascent drops in sales.

The 2023 Subaru Ascent is the fourth best-selling SUV in the lineup, with 4,860 3-Row SUVs delivered to customers in August. The Ascent sales dropped 13.8 percent compared with the 5,638 models sold in August 2022. The Ascent is up 2.9 percent in the first eight months, with 42,282 models sold in 2023.

The Legacy sedan jumps back in the conversation.

The 2023 Subaru Legacy midsize sedan was up again in August and comes roaring back to life. But the Legacy jumps with an impressive 45.8 percent increase in sales, with 2,765 models delivered to customers in August compared with 1,896 sales in August 2022. The Legacy sedan is up 6.6 percent in the first eight months, with 16,895 models sold to customers in 2023. 

The new Impreza drops like a rock.

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The Subaru Impreza compact hatchback significantly decreased in August, down 36.0 percent, as the next-generation hatchback arrives now. SOA delivered 2,205 compact models to customers in August compared with 3,449 sales in August 2022. Impreza is now up 21.4 percent in the first eight months of 2023, with 24,296 models sold in 2023.

WRX takes another significant drop.

The 2023 Subaru WRX sales dropped 27.2 percent in August, with 1,677 performance models delivered to customers compared with 2,304 sales in August 2022. The WRX is up 71.5 percent in the first eight months, with 18,944 sport-tuned models sold this year.

Solterra EV had another record month.

In its ninth month of sales, the all-new 2023 Subaru Solterra EV had 915 compact electric SUV sales in August. In August, Solterra had its best sales month so far. SOA has delivered 4,645 Solterra all-electric models to customers in the first eight months of 2023.

BRZ is last again.

The 2023 BRZ sports coupe is still the bottom dweller in SOA's lineup, with 268 sales in August, compared with 308 sport coupes delivered in August 2022. BRZ was down 12.9 percent in August, but still up 40.5 percent for the year with 3,091 models sold to customers.

New upgrades are coming to 2024 BRZ models. 

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The Forester is again the surprise model, leading all Subaru sales in August and helps Subaru of America hit thirteen months of increased sales. The Outback was the other model up in percentage of sales. Surprisingly, Subaru's two new next-generation models, the Crosstrek and Impreza, had significant sales performance drops. 

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Denis Flierl brings over thirty years of combined auto industry and automotive journalism experience to Torque News readers. He is an accredited Rocky Mountain Automotive Press (RMAP) member. The last twelve years have been spent with Torque News, covering Subaru vehicles and the latest news. Check back daily for his expert Subaru analysis. You'll find the latest stories on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

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Photo credit: Subaru