Subaru of America reported sales were down again in July. There is strong demand, but there are few 2022 Subaru Forester and 2022 Outback models to sell to U.S. customers.
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After an encouraging month in June, Subaru of America reports another sales drop in its top models in July. There is strong demand for the 2022 Subaru Forester compact SUV, 2022 Outback midsize SUV, and other all-wheel-drive models, but the Camden, N.J. automaker has a limited inventory to sell to its U.S. customers.
Subaru of America (SOA) reports 44,536 vehicle sales, a 17.1 percent decrease in July, compared with July 2021, when they sold 50,125 vehicles. Subaru says the drop is again because of "inventory challenges as the result of microchip and supply chain issues affecting automakers across the globe."
photo credit: Centaur Subaru
"Demand for Subaru vehicles remains high, and we look forward to rolling out our competitively priced, 2023 model year vehicles this fall, including the updated Subaru Ascent, Outback, and Legacy," said Jeff Walters, Senior Vice President of Sales.
Outback stays the top-selling model in 2022
The 2022 Subaru Outback continues to lead the lineup in sales through the first seven months of 2022 but dropped the most of any nameplate. SOA delivered 8,638 Outback models to customers in July, a 38.6 percent drop compared with July 2021 (14,058). Outback has 85,979 models sold to customers in 2022, a decrease of 15.4 percent compared with 2021.
Forester drops further behind
The refreshed 2022 Subaru Forester is third in SOA's lineup and continues to fall behind because the delivery dates are longer than any car in SOA's lineup. The Forester dropped 36.8 percent, with 7,737 compact SUVs delivered to customers in July compared with 12,235 models sold in July 2021. 58,674 Forester SUVs have been sold through the first seven months of 2022, a drop of 45.8 percent compared with 2021.
Subaru Crosstrek is the top performer in July
The 2022 Subaru Crosstrek continues to sizzle hot with 14,076 subcompact SUVs delivered to customers in July. Crosstrek is up 5.0 percent over July 2021 sales (13,402). Crosstrek is the second best-selling all-wheel-drive model for SOA, just behind the Outback, with 84,126 models delivered to customers through the first seven months. Crosstrek is one of the few models with a sales increase in 2022, up 8.4 percent.
Ascent drops after being up four months in a row
The 2022 Subaru Ascent sales are down in July after increasing four months. SOA delivered 4,489 family haulers to customers in July compared with 5,044 in July 2021, a drop of 11.0 percent. The Ascent 3-Row SUV is still up in sales in 2022, 6.0 percent year to date, with 35,420 models sold to families in the first seven months of 2022.
The 2022 Subaru Impreza compact sedan and hatchback saw a massive 215.6 percent increase with 2,228 sales compared with 706 in July 2021. The 2022 Legacy sedan had 1,610 sales and dropped 32.2 percent compared with 2,375 sales in June 2021.
Subaru's performance lineup of WRX and BRZ had improved results. The next-generation 2022 Subaru WRX increased 9.8 percent, with 2,530 performance sedans delivered to customers compared with 2,305 models sold in July 2021. The all-new 2022 BRZ was up with 228 sport coupes sold compared to zero in July 2021 when Subaru ran out of first-generation models.
"Customers know they can look to Subaru for the adventure-ready, family-friendly, and safe vehicles they can count on, despite low inventory impacting the entire auto industry," said Thomas J. Doll, President, and CEO of Subaru of America.
The hot 2022 Subaru Crosstrek subcompact SUV, 2022 Subaru Outback midsize SUV, and Outback Wilderness outdoor-themed trim level are still the most popular and available models for customers in July.
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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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