Subaru Reports 3 Percent Sales Drop in March

Although some car manufacturers around the world reported impressive high sales in March, others are still struggling to cope with the recession and, even if they show the first signs of recovery, sales are still low. Subaru of America for example today announced that year-to-date sales were up 2 percent with 41,532 units sold in 2009 versus 40,881 units in 2008, with March bringing a 3 percent decrease over the same month of the previous year.

Subaru Forester remained the best selling model in the current product lineup, with 6,802 units delivered to US consumers last month. This means sales for this particular model increase 47 percent compared to last year's March figures - 4,615 units.

"In March, Forester set an all-time sales record, capping a month where it received the top rating for Roof Strength from IIHS and won the best new small Crossover from Kiplinger Personal Finance," said Tim Colbeck, senior vice president of sales, Subaru of America, Inc. "The Forester has been a major driver of our success this year, leading the brand to a 2-percent year-to-date sales increase over 2008. As our market share grows to record levels this reinforces that the safety, durability and value of Subaru products continue to resonate with consumers."

Subaru Impreza remained a popular model among Americans, despite the 16 percent drop in monthly sales - 3,725 units sold last month compared to 4,446 vehicles delivered in March 2008. Subaru Outback came third with 3,609 units, down 18 percent from the same month of the previous year when the company sold a total of 4,378 units.