Since it began automobile manufacturing with the 1958 launch of the Subaru 360, FHI has created numerous distinctive models that have contributed to the development of Japan's automobile industry.
For example, the Subaru 360 featured sophisticated packaging- including such aircraft design concepts as monocoque construction and the use of plastic components-along with other innovative and thorough weight-saving technologies. Launched in 1966, the Subaru 1000 incorporated a horizontally opposed engine, one of the most distinctive Subaru technologies, and was also the first massproduced car to employ a front-wheel-drive layout. In 1972, FHI became the first in the world to market an AWD passenger car.
Subsequently, Subaru has improved and refined its AWD system, thereby creating a symmetrical AWD system that enables optimal driving pleasure and safety.
Besides offering an AWD system for passenger cars, in the early 1990s, Subaru pioneered the market in Japan for high-performance station wagons by combining a turbo-charged engine with an AWD system. This was later followed by the pioneering in the United States of the market for "crossover" vehicles, which integrate the driving comfort of sedans with the functionality of SUVs.
Throughout the history of innumerable innovations enabling the development of outstanding Subaru vehicles, FHI has emphasized the concept of "driving pleasure." Subaru vehicles have always been designed expressly to be "drivers' cars," with characteristics that ensure they are enjoyable to drive. In line with its approach to vehicle development-which emphasizes comprehensive on-road testing and progressive refinement of driving performance-Subaru proactively participates in motorsports. All these efforts have resulted in widespread recognition that Subaru vehicles offer distinctive "Subaru driving pleasure.