Subaru Salutes A Superb September But They Still Look For A Star

Subaru of America is saluting each other with a toast as they celebrate another sales gain in September, its 14th consecutive monthly sales increase. It's a good comeback, but I remember when Subaru had 12 consecutive YEARS of sales increases. But the Camden, N.J. automaker will take what they can get.

Here are Subaru of America's models, and which are September's top performers. There are a few surprises, so keep reading. Subaru still needs a star. 

The Subaru Forester compact SUV and Outback midsize SUV are the top sales leaders again in the percentage of increase. Surprisingly, the all-new redesigned Subaru Crosstrek subcompact SUV is down again. 

Subaru of America announced sales in September, increasing for fourteen consecutive months. Subaru's all-new models, like the 2024 Crosstrek, are arriving now, but the subcompact SUV is not the best-selling model and has decreased sales again.

Subaru looks for the Crosstrek Wilderness to be a star. 

Subaru is looking for a star to take the lead in 2023, and the Camden, N.J. automaker expects the all-new Crosstrek Wilderness to be the significant new model to launch this year. The 2024 Crosstrek Wilderness arrives now, so we'll see how it performs in the last quarter of 2023. 

Subaru of America reported its 14 consecutive months of increased sales, with 56,335 vehicles delivered to customers in September 2023, a 16.5 percent increase compared with September 2022 (45,658). SOA also reported year-to-date sales of 467,223, a 16.5 percent increase compared to 2022.

"We closed September with our 14th consecutive month of sales increases, thanks in no small part to our dedicated network of Subaru retailers," said Jeff Walters, President and Chief Operating Officer, Subaru of America.

The Subaru Forester is customers' top pick again.

Just as in July and August, the 2023 Subaru Forester compact SUV is again the number-one selling all-wheel-drive model for Subaru of America. Forester was the top performer by volume in September for the third month, with 15,237 vehicle sales and an increase of 49 percent over the same month in 2022.

The 15,237 Forester models delivered to customers compared with 10,254 in September 2022. Forester is now up 33.9 percent in the first nine months of 2023. Forester has 106,345 models sold in 2023 and remains in third place behind the Outback and Crosstrek.

Outback remains steady before a remodel.

The 2023 Subaru Outback midsize SUV is the second-place performer in the lineup, increasing an impressive 71.2 percent in September, with 14,545 models sold compared with 8,497 in September 2022. Outback is now up 16.6 percent in the first quarter of 2023. Outback still leads all other models this year, with 122,881 midsize SUVs delivered to customers in 2023.

The Subaru Crosstrek should be the star. 

As Subaru changed the model to the all-new 2024 Crosstrek, sales of the subcompact SUV dropped again in September, as Crosstrek was down 17.1 percent. Subaru delivered 13,341 Crosstrek subcompact SUVs to customers in September compared with 16,092 in September 2022. 

The Crosstrek is now down 0.6 percent for the year's first nine months. Crosstrek is still second in the lineup behind Outback year to date, with 114,632 models sold in 2023. Look for the Crosstrek to rebound as the next-generation models arrive, and the all-new 2024 Crosstrek Wilderness comes this fall. 

The Ascent underperforms again.

The 2023 Subaru Ascent is the fourth best-selling SUV in the lineup, with 4,599 sales of the 3-Row SUVs in September. The Ascent sales dropped 7.4 percent compared with the 4,964 models sold in September 2022. The Ascent is up 1.9 percent in the first nine months, with 46,881 models sold in the first quarter.

The Legacy sedan takes a giant leap forward.

The 2023 Subaru Legacy midsize sedan was up again in September and is the surprise model. The Legacy leaps an impressive 106.9 percent increase in sales, with 2,727 models delivered to customers in September compared with 1,318 sales in September 2022. The Legacy sedan is up 14.4 percent in the first nine months, with 19,622 models sold to customers in 2023. 

The new Impreza is the hot hatch.

The Subaru Impreza compact hatchback increased in September after being down in August. SOA delivered 2,868 compact models to customers in September compared with 2,626 sales in September 2022. Impreza is now up 20.0 percent in the first quarter of 2023, with 27,164 compact models sold in 2023.

WRX performance is slow.

The 2023 Subaru WRX sales dropped 2.7 percent in September, with 1,630 performance models delivered to customers compared with 1,676 sales in September 2022. The WRX is up 61.7 percent in the first nine months after a fast start at the beginning of the year. SOA has sold 20,574 sport-tuned models this year.

Solterra EV had another record month.

The Solterra EV has back to back to back record months. In its tenth entire month of sales, the all-new 2023 Subaru Solterra EV broke the 1,000 sales mark for the first time. SOA delivered 1,118 compact electric SUVs to EV customers in September. In September, Solterra had its best sales month so far. SOA has delivered 5,763 Solterra all-electric models to customers in the first nine months of 2023.

No surprise, the BRZ is last again.

The 2023 BRZ sports coupe is still the bottom dweller in SOA's lineup, with 270 sales in September, compared with 231 sport coupes delivered in September 2022. BRZ was up 16.9 percent in September and a 38.3 percent increase for the year, with 3,361 sport coupes delivered to customers.

Subaru of America is still looking for a star to break out. It could be the all-new 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness. 

For additional articles related to Subaru, here are a few for your consideration:

• Head To Head Subaru Forester Wilderness Vs. Outback Wilderness - The Winner Is Clear
• The 12 Best Snow-Friendly SUVs - Subaru Only Scores One?
• The New Subaru Outback - A Fully-Loaded Touring XT Will Empty Your Wallet

Here is the How Subaru Plans To Maintain Its Unlikely Success YouTube video from CNBC

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, Social Media Platform X, and Instagram. 

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Photo credit: Subaru