"With soaring gas prices around the globe, Toyota, makers of the Aygo, Vitz and Yaris, plans to work jointly with Subaru in the creation and production of a B-segment vehicle. According to the Associated Press, the fruits of their union will begin in 2008, with only European consumers getting a version of the mini-Subie.
For those of you not keeping tabs on who owns what with who, Toyota purchased an 8.7 percent stake in Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru's parent company) when General Motors sold their shares in late 2005. As Toyota is now the largest shareholder of the company, this may be the first of many joint products to come from the two automakers, with the Camry beginning to be build at F.H.I.'s site in Indiana in 2007."
This is bad!!!! Okay, so you have Subaru asking Toyota for help with small cars. We all know that the small cars Toyota sells here have horrible styling and even worse performance. (Yaris and Corolla). I think the guy from Motorweek said it was actually SCARY putting the Yaris through the slalom.
And, this is only the start. Of the end of Subaru. The fast, sporty Impreza will probably be replaced with a small front wheel drive slow-machine. And the Legacy, with it's amazingly powerful 2.5 turbocharged engine and luxury interior, will turn into an Avalon. Say goodbye to the Outback. Forester=gone. (not that it was that good anyways. They could probably lose that one.) What they need is a car like their Japan-only Stella, which has sold wildly there. (shown). So what do you think?
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