Subaru Confirms Seven-Seater Replacement for Unsuccessful Tribeca SUV

We recently posted a story about Subaru’s renunciation of the Tribeca SUV, a model that was the exact opposite of a sales hit, despite there being nothing terribly wrong with it. Now, Automotive News tells us that the Japanese manufacturer has confirmed through its president Yasuyuki Yoshinaga, that the replacement for the model being phased out will have seven seats, though he did not say when it was due exactly.

"I've received very strong requests from U.S. dealers for a multi-passenger, seven-seat vehicle," while adding that they “are planning to introduce it to the U.S. market."

However, Subaru will not merely switch production from the old model to the new one, as the two will have nothing in common. Yoshinaga explained, "The seven-passenger vehicle project is completely different… You won't see the new vehicle coming out immediately when Tribeca production ends.”

Moreover, since the Tribeca is currently built in the US, and the upcoming seven-seater will also be US-biased, we can hypothesize that it too will be US-built. It’s even suggested it may share underpinnings with the Exiga, a JDM-only estate-type of vehicle that has ample space inside and can seat the required number of passengers – it gets a raised third row of seats too.

By Andrei Nedelea

Note: STI-tuned 2009 Subaru Exiga pictured

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Mazda6 and Subaru Tribeca to be Axed, According to Report from Japan

Mazda and Subaru may soon be forced to axe two of their models in the US market, the Mazda6 mid-size vehicle and the Subaru Tribeca SUV, due to low volumes that undermine the efficiency of the U.S. plants that they are built in, according to a newspaper report from Japan’s business daily Nikkan Kogyo. It should be noted though that spokesmen for both companies declined to comment on the report.
Nikkan Kogyo wrote that Mazda is planning to discontinue production of the Mazda6 at the Flat Rock, Michigan plant, which it operates as a joint venture together with Ford Motor Co., as sales missed expectations. When Mazda introduce the latest generation of the mid-size model in 2008, the company expected an annual production of around 100,000 units, but last year, the plant churned out just 45,168 Mazda6s. In April, Mazda6 posted an increase of 7.8 percent but sales reached just 2,734 vehicles.

Subaru to Update its Lineup to help welcome the Toyobaru Coupe into the fold

Besides adding its upcoming unnamed coupe to the lineup, Subaru will be working to get a little pep back in its step by bringing out some new designs over the next few years. What can we expect from the all-wheel drive anti-SUV brand? Autoweek had an interesting article charting the upcoming changes in Subaru's lineup.

Starting with the chunky-monkey Legacy and Outback models that are relatively new, the only update to be expected is a mild refresh/facelift coming in the next three or four years.

Hopefully Subaru will decide on a corporate face that doesn't look like 'meh' and throw it on those two, because right now they're as beige as a Camry. I mean, if Volvo and Audi could make their crossover cars (the Cross Country and Allroad) look cool, why can't Subaru?