It’s Time For Subaru To Drop The Legacy Sedan And Offer A New Baja Compact Pickup
Is it time for Subaru to drop the Legacy sedan as they did in Australia? Subaru of America reported 2021 Legacy sales for May, and the sedan is the worst performing carline for Subaru of America. The Camden, N.J. automaker says 10,870 Legacy models were delivered to customers through May 2021. Even the performance Subaru WRX and STI have more sales than Legacy this year (11,918).
How does the 2021 Subaru Legacy compare with other sedans in the U.S.? A recent report reveals the Legacy is seventh in sales behind the Toyota Camry (145,766 year-to-date), Honda Accord (93,925), Hyundai Sonata (44,260), Toyota Prius (32,935), Kia K5 (32,837), and Ford Fusion (10,937).
The Subaru Legacy is manufactured at the Subaru plant in Lafayette, Indiana, and a new pickup truck could be an excellent vehicle to replace the Legacy on the assembly line. The small to medium pickup truck segment is one of the fastest-growing in North America.
Ford has the right idea with the all-new 2022 Maverick compact truck recently revealed. Why doesn’t Subaru resurrect the Baja and offer a new compact pickup? Subaru of America discontinued the Baja after the 2006 model year because it has some flaws, and it never sold well.
photo credit: KDesign AG (Kleber Silva)
Now could be the time to build a new compact Baja pickup that would ride on the Subaru Global Platform, and it could be built alongside the Outback and Ascent SUVs in Indiana.
The Japanese automaker could give its U.S. customers the traditional Subaru go-anywhere capabilities. The brand’s Symmetrical all-wheel-drive system would be a perfect fit for a compact pickup and would likely be a big hit with customers with active lifestyles who want to go off-road and get further away.
The Subaru Baja pickup could feature the brand’s core values of safety, fun-to-drive, all-weather capable, and a low center-of-gravity. The Baja pickup would be rugged and off-pavement ready.
Imagine an all-new Subaru Baja pickup with a 2.4-liter turbocharged Boxer engine producing 260 horsepower. Or Subaru could offer a more rugged Baja Wilderness trim with extra ground clearance, all-terrain tires, and underbody protection for off-road adventures.
It’s time for Subaru of America to drop the Legacy sedan and offer a new Baja compact pickup for its customers in North America.
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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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Photo credit: Subaru, main image KDesign AG (Kleber Silva)