RE: RIP Subaru Impreza
Discussion
Pr1964 said:
Stuff about "premium" cars
Unfortunately most of the public are not petrol heads and just want to appear flash and project a "classy image" and so buy into the "Premium German Car" thing as obviously do you. Which is fine if that is what you want from a car as most people do as they just want soemthing that can get from A to B and appear "classy".When everyone is driving "classy premium German cars" you can easily tell the connoiseur that actually enjoys cars and driving in his machine built for fun and speed, rather than soft touch plastics and oversized blinging rims.
This is why we have so much bland "premium" crap clogging up our roads.
Pr1964 said:
Imo British buyer is looking for class the classier the better if they have the money they buy the classiest looking car they can. Uk is the birth place of classy cars like Jaguar RR Aston Martin etc
In France they buy the cheapest to run car same in Italy and Spain. Though in Italy the rich buy the most beautiful Italy can produce .
Uk is class central we have the newest flashiest cars of any country other that Germany the Germans just buy the most powerful robust cars they produce.
Here an ugly car is going to be a tough sell and we all end up with premium brand envy. Hence all the BMW s Mercedes Aston's Audi etc etc on our roads.
The image of Subaru in Japan and the rest of the world isn't weighed down by the chav image we have here it's also relatively cheaper in those regions.
We Brits are car snobs and car snobs gravitate towards premium brand products with a premium image.
That together with more and more affordable premium brand products and there is little room for the likes of Subaru to make any meaningfull progress into the uk market unless they improve the quality and image of their products. Once painted as a chav mobile its going to be tough to change that image.
So No chance for the impreza to gain any critical mass in a market which demands premium products with a premium image.
The uk market is only going to get more dominated by the companies which have critical mass and produce premium products which sell.
Was a time when premium product was twice the price.
Ie BMW / Mercedes twice the price of an equivalent Ford or Volvo. Now the price difference is 5-8%
The price differential has narrowed so much the choice is now a no brainer who'd buy a sub premium product over a premium product only a fool or someone wanting to be different.
If the impreza was cheap it would sell but at a similar price to an M135i the head / wallet will say buy the BMW.
The whole point of this post ignores the rise of brands like Skoda and Kia/Hyundai in the UK.In France they buy the cheapest to run car same in Italy and Spain. Though in Italy the rich buy the most beautiful Italy can produce .
Uk is class central we have the newest flashiest cars of any country other that Germany the Germans just buy the most powerful robust cars they produce.
Here an ugly car is going to be a tough sell and we all end up with premium brand envy. Hence all the BMW s Mercedes Aston's Audi etc etc on our roads.
The image of Subaru in Japan and the rest of the world isn't weighed down by the chav image we have here it's also relatively cheaper in those regions.
We Brits are car snobs and car snobs gravitate towards premium brand products with a premium image.
That together with more and more affordable premium brand products and there is little room for the likes of Subaru to make any meaningfull progress into the uk market unless they improve the quality and image of their products. Once painted as a chav mobile its going to be tough to change that image.
So No chance for the impreza to gain any critical mass in a market which demands premium products with a premium image.
The uk market is only going to get more dominated by the companies which have critical mass and produce premium products which sell.
Was a time when premium product was twice the price.
Ie BMW / Mercedes twice the price of an equivalent Ford or Volvo. Now the price difference is 5-8%
The price differential has narrowed so much the choice is now a no brainer who'd buy a sub premium product over a premium product only a fool or someone wanting to be different.
If the impreza was cheap it would sell but at a similar price to an M135i the head / wallet will say buy the BMW.
The impreza doesn't sell well in the UK because it totally ignores things important to fleets.
C
RenOHH said:
corozin said:
Unfortunately the performance Impreza's didn't sell enough anywhere other than Japan and the UK to make them viable.
But it also didn't help that Subaru turned the Impreza from a brutal performance saloon into a characterless bread van.
Shame all the same.
I thought Imprezas did well in the USA? It's hard to make money on car sales there though as American made cars dictate a lower price for imported cars. Most manufacturers barely make any money selling cars there.But it also didn't help that Subaru turned the Impreza from a brutal performance saloon into a characterless bread van.
Shame all the same.
tim2100 said:
The comments about BMW. Has anybody sat inside a recent Impreza and BMW 1 series? They are poles apart, the BMW is, IMO, a far nicer place to be sat. Subaru's have always felt tinny and thin. A M135 will be a far better place to be than any Impreza.
I wonder how much influence this has on peoples buying decisions? The way I see it you spend all your time inside the car so regardless of what's under the bonnet some emphasis must surely be on the interior being a nice place to be?I went to look at the current shape Legacy and Forester and walked away thinking that I'd love a Subaru but I couldn't get over the 5 pence interiors which is just taking the piss when you're talking the thick end of thirty grand.
b
hstewie said:
hstewie said:tim2100 said:
The comments about BMW. Has anybody sat inside a recent Impreza and BMW 1 series? They are poles apart, the BMW is, IMO, a far nicer place to be sat. Subaru's have always felt tinny and thin. A M135 will be a far better place to be than any Impreza.
I wonder how much influence this has on peoples buying decisions? The way I see it you spend all your time inside the car so regardless of what's under the bonnet some emphasis must surely be on the interior being a nice place to be?I went to look at the current shape Legacy and Forester and walked away thinking that I'd love a Subaru but I couldn't get over the 5 pence interiors which is just taking the piss when you're talking the thick end of thirty grand.
General car buying public are indeed more worried about what you are worried about and so these cars are much less popular and only really popular with people that love cars and driving more than fancy interiors.
Edited by rb5er on Sunday 16th December 13:16
Typical BMW snob, with a poor excuse for a BMW, cant buy an M3 of X5M? Dont have the money to buy new so goes for second hand etc. You think you are classy because you can buy a used BMW, but deep inside are still a chav that picks his nose, goes to the local greasy spoon, too cheap to give a tip when going to a restaurant if you ever go to them, loves to throw rubbish out the car window whilst driving etc.
Pr1964 said:
The Majority imprezza owners don't have any money to buy new imprezzas
there is the main problem ....
let alone enough money to buy a fast BMW!
Spent all their dosh on baseball caps to wear in their cars ..
The image has become very dated and without any class the takeup would always be limited to chavs and anyone who didn't have enough dosh for a good looking performance car.
there is the main problem ....
let alone enough money to buy a fast BMW!
Spent all their dosh on baseball caps to wear in their cars ..
The image has become very dated and without any class the takeup would always be limited to chavs and anyone who didn't have enough dosh for a good looking performance car.
CraigyMc said:
Pr1964 said:
Imo British buyer is looking for class the classier the better if they have the money they buy the classiest looking car they can. Uk is the birth place of classy cars like Jaguar RR Aston Martin etc
In France they buy the cheapest to run car same in Italy and Spain. Though in Italy the rich buy the most beautiful Italy can produce .
Uk is class central we have the newest flashiest cars of any country other that Germany the Germans just buy the most powerful robust cars they produce.
Here an ugly car is going to be a tough sell and we all end up with premium brand envy. Hence all the BMW s Mercedes Aston's Audi etc etc on our roads.
The image of Subaru in Japan and the rest of the world isn't weighed down by the chav image we have here it's also relatively cheaper in those regions.
We Brits are car snobs and car snobs gravitate towards premium brand products with a premium image.
That together with more and more affordable premium brand products and there is little room for the likes of Subaru to make any meaningfull progress into the uk market unless they improve the quality and image of their products. Once painted as a chav mobile its going to be tough to change that image.
So No chance for the impreza to gain any critical mass in a market which demands premium products with a premium image.
The uk market is only going to get more dominated by the companies which have critical mass and produce premium products which sell.
Was a time when premium product was twice the price.
Ie BMW / Mercedes twice the price of an equivalent Ford or Volvo. Now the price difference is 5-8%
The price differential has narrowed so much the choice is now a no brainer who'd buy a sub premium product over a premium product only a fool or someone wanting to be different.
If the impreza was cheap it would sell but at a similar price to an M135i the head / wallet will say buy the BMW.
The whole point of this post ignores the rise of brands like Skoda and Kia/Hyundai in the UK.In France they buy the cheapest to run car same in Italy and Spain. Though in Italy the rich buy the most beautiful Italy can produce .
Uk is class central we have the newest flashiest cars of any country other that Germany the Germans just buy the most powerful robust cars they produce.
Here an ugly car is going to be a tough sell and we all end up with premium brand envy. Hence all the BMW s Mercedes Aston's Audi etc etc on our roads.
The image of Subaru in Japan and the rest of the world isn't weighed down by the chav image we have here it's also relatively cheaper in those regions.
We Brits are car snobs and car snobs gravitate towards premium brand products with a premium image.
That together with more and more affordable premium brand products and there is little room for the likes of Subaru to make any meaningfull progress into the uk market unless they improve the quality and image of their products. Once painted as a chav mobile its going to be tough to change that image.
So No chance for the impreza to gain any critical mass in a market which demands premium products with a premium image.
The uk market is only going to get more dominated by the companies which have critical mass and produce premium products which sell.
Was a time when premium product was twice the price.
Ie BMW / Mercedes twice the price of an equivalent Ford or Volvo. Now the price difference is 5-8%
The price differential has narrowed so much the choice is now a no brainer who'd buy a sub premium product over a premium product only a fool or someone wanting to be different.
If the impreza was cheap it would sell but at a similar price to an M135i the head / wallet will say buy the BMW.
The impreza doesn't sell well in the UK because it totally ignores things important to fleets.
C
Subaru don't have the technical specs or the dealer network for their vehicles to become fleet-centric.
The Impreza as a model could not compete on volume with the Foci and Astras of this world, image with the 1-Series and the like or value of the Hyundais and Kias. It was stuck in a hole where nobody buys cars. The WRX/STI are nice ideas, but there isn't any motorsport to push the heritage along and drive showroom interest or buyers in any volume to allow them to support the entire Impreza range.
The question in my mind isn't "will we see the Impreza in the UK again?", rather it's "How long will Subaru continue in the UK at all?".
The Impreza as a model could not compete on volume with the Foci and Astras of this world, image with the 1-Series and the like or value of the Hyundais and Kias. It was stuck in a hole where nobody buys cars. The WRX/STI are nice ideas, but there isn't any motorsport to push the heritage along and drive showroom interest or buyers in any volume to allow them to support the entire Impreza range.
The question in my mind isn't "will we see the Impreza in the UK again?", rather it's "How long will Subaru continue in the UK at all?".
Escort Si-130 said:
Typical BMW snob, with a poor excuse for a BMW, cant buy an M3 of X5M? Dont have the money to buy new so goes for second hand etc. You think you are classy because you can buy a used BMW, but deep inside are still a chav that picks his nose, goes to the local greasy spoon, too cheap to give a tip when going to a restaurant if you ever go to them, loves to throw rubbish out the car window whilst driving etc.
As a company you know you have a problem when even the builder tells you your to common!Pr1964 said:
The Majority imprezza owners don't have any money to buy new imprezzas
there is the main problem ....
let alone enough money to buy a fast BMW!
Spent all their dosh on baseball caps to wear in their cars ..
The image has become very dated and without any class the takeup would always be limited to chavs and anyone who didn't have enough dosh for a good looking performance car.
there is the main problem ....
let alone enough money to buy a fast BMW!
Spent all their dosh on baseball caps to wear in their cars ..
The image has become very dated and without any class the takeup would always be limited to chavs and anyone who didn't have enough dosh for a good looking performance car.
Uk is full of hypocrits. Basically people like yourself mock and insult people for being rich etc. but yet you want to be like the upper class. People like yourself even insult the PM for going to places like Eton like it is a crime to go to a private school and that everyone must have public school education.
The new 1 series seriously looks fked up. I did not like the first generation one, it only looked good in coupe form.
And if I had a choice between the current Imprezza and the new 135. It would be the Imprezza, I HATE the look of the new 1 series at the front. If it you had thrown in the 1M however, I would take that, I love it.
There is going to be a time when BMW/Merc etc are not looked as that special in the UK as the market is literally flooded with them.
The new 1 series seriously looks f
ked up. I did not like the first generation one, it only looked good in coupe form.And if I had a choice between the current Imprezza and the new 135. It would be the Imprezza, I HATE the look of the new 1 series at the front. If it you had thrown in the 1M however, I would take that, I love it.
There is going to be a time when BMW/Merc etc are not looked as that special in the UK as the market is literally flooded with them.
Pr1964 said:
Imo British buyer is looking for class the classier the better if they have the money they buy the classiest looking car they can. Uk is the birth place of classy cars like Jaguar RR Aston Martin etc
In France they buy the cheapest to run car same in Italy and Spain. Though in Italy the rich buy the most beautiful Italy can produce .
Uk is class central we have the newest flashiest cars of any country other that Germany the Germans just buy the most powerful robust cars they produce.
Here an ugly car is going to be a tough sell and we all end up with premium brand envy. Hence all the BMW s Mercedes Aston's Audi etc etc on our roads.
The image of Subaru in Japan and the rest of the world isn't weighed down by the chav image we have here it's also relatively cheaper in those regions.
We Brits are car snobs and car snobs gravitate towards premium brand products with a premium image.
That together with more and more affordable premium brand products and there is little room for the likes of Subaru to make any meaningfull progress into the uk market unless they improve the quality and image of their products. Once painted as a chav mobile its going to be tough to change that image.
So No chance for the impreza to gain any critical mass in a market which demands premium products with a premium image.
The uk market is only going to get more dominated by the companies which have critical mass and produce premium products which sell.
Was a time when premium product was twice the price.
Ie BMW / Mercedes twice the price of an equivalent Ford or Volvo. Now the price difference is 5-8%
The price differential has narrowed so much the choice is now a no brainer who'd buy a sub premium product over a premium product only a fool or someone wanting to be different.
If the impreza was cheap it would sell but at a similar price to an M135i the head / wallet will say buy the BMW.
In France they buy the cheapest to run car same in Italy and Spain. Though in Italy the rich buy the most beautiful Italy can produce .
Uk is class central we have the newest flashiest cars of any country other that Germany the Germans just buy the most powerful robust cars they produce.
Here an ugly car is going to be a tough sell and we all end up with premium brand envy. Hence all the BMW s Mercedes Aston's Audi etc etc on our roads.
The image of Subaru in Japan and the rest of the world isn't weighed down by the chav image we have here it's also relatively cheaper in those regions.
We Brits are car snobs and car snobs gravitate towards premium brand products with a premium image.
That together with more and more affordable premium brand products and there is little room for the likes of Subaru to make any meaningfull progress into the uk market unless they improve the quality and image of their products. Once painted as a chav mobile its going to be tough to change that image.
So No chance for the impreza to gain any critical mass in a market which demands premium products with a premium image.
The uk market is only going to get more dominated by the companies which have critical mass and produce premium products which sell.
Was a time when premium product was twice the price.
Ie BMW / Mercedes twice the price of an equivalent Ford or Volvo. Now the price difference is 5-8%
The price differential has narrowed so much the choice is now a no brainer who'd buy a sub premium product over a premium product only a fool or someone wanting to be different.
If the impreza was cheap it would sell but at a similar price to an M135i the head / wallet will say buy the BMW.
Pr1964 said:
Uk is snob
Here an ugly car is going to be a tough sell and
The uk market is only going to get more dominated by the companies which have critical mass and produce premium products which sell as long as there are so many sheep .
Was a time when premium product was twice the price.
Ie BMW / Mercedes twice the price of an equivalent Ford or Volvo. Now the price difference is 5-8%
The price differential has narrowed so much the choice is now a no brainer who'd buy a sub premium product over a premium product (even though the actual quality difference is now a similar 5 - 8%) only
If the impreza was cheap it would sell but at a similar price to an M135i
10 Pence Short said:
The problem for Subaru isn't the badge snobs (it actually has a good reputation with the country set), it's that the product isn't good enough compared to the competition.
I think you were closer with your comment about the loss of the motorsport connection - it isn't that the competition is better so much as the entire rally rep genre becoming extinct.I think it's also the case that a USP of being able to cover ground very quickly, all other priorities deprecated, is less usable in the uk than it has ever been.
It's hardly a surprise, the UK arm wanted to distance itself from the Motorsport image - the very thing that made their name in the UK. The WRC pullout was another dagger, and since then they've produced less than stellar cars - and not even value for money anymore.
As a Rallyfan, it's sad that the Rally rep is no more - there were some fantastic cars. Now we have the FWD Fiesta Zetec-S and DS3 Racing......
As a Rallyfan, it's sad that the Rally rep is no more - there were some fantastic cars. Now we have the FWD Fiesta Zetec-S and DS3 Racing......
daemon said:
10 Pence Short said:
Subaru don't have the technical specs or the dealer network for their vehicles to become fleet-centric.
The UK importers dont have the import quota to have any reason to be interested in fleets.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff