Category: News Type

Flear and Thompson sells Kia’s one millionth UK car

Flear and Thompson, a Kia dealer in Dunfermline, has sold Kia’s milestone one millionth car in the UK. Dr Fergus Duncan become the owner of a blue Sportage GT-Line model. The first car Kia sold in the UK was a Pride compact car back in 1991 and the Korean brand sold 1,786 vehicles in its… Continue reading Flear and Thompson sells Kia’s one millionth UK car

SUBARU Invests in Three Start-up Companies through the SUBARU-SBI Innovation Fund

January 15, 2019

SUBARU Invests in Three Start-up Companies through the SUBARU-SBI Innovation Fund

Tokyo, January 15, 2019 – Subaru Corporation has completed investments in a total of three start-up companies through its SUBARU-SBI Innovation Fund by the end of 2018.

As declared in its mid-term management vision called “STEP,” Subaru aims to become a trusted brand that resonates with customers through its products and services in its automotive and aerospace businesses.
As part of the initiatives to address its customers’ diversifying mobility needs, Subaru established the SUBARU-SBI Innovation Fund in July 2018 with a goal of generating innovation by actively bringing in external expertise and combining it with internal expertise.

The following are the companies that the SUBARU-SBI Innovation Fund invested in:

Company name
Bye Aerospace, Inc.

Head office
Colorado, U.S.A.

Representative
George E. Bye, Founder and CEO

Established
2007

Business
Design, manufacture, and sales of all-electric aircraft

Company name
AEye, Inc.

Head office
California, U.S.A.

Representative
Luis Dussan, Founder and CEO

Established
2013

Business
Development of artificial perception systems for autonomous vehicles

Company name
aptpod, Inc.

Head office
Tokyo, Japan

Representative
Junichi Sakamoto, Representative Director

Established
2006

Business
M2M/IoT software/hardware development, M2M/IoT cloud services, etc.

Related news release:
July 10, 2018 – SUBARU and SBI Investment Establish Private Fund
https://www.subaru.co.jp/press/news-en/2018_07_10_6033/

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Subaru Corporation Announces Production and Retail Sales Plans for CY2019

January 15, 2019

Subaru Corporation Announces Production and Retail Sales Plans for CY2019

Tokyo, January 15, 2019 – Subaru Corporation today announced its annual production and retail sales plans for calendar year 2019.

1. Production
(Units in Thousands)

2018 Result
’18 vs ’17
2019 Plan
’19 vs ’18

Japan Production *1
660
-7%
650
-2%

Overseas Production *2
359
-1%
380
+6%

Global Production
1,019
-5%
1,030
+1%

*1: Includes production of Toyota 86 models
*2: Excludes CKD production in Asia
Production in Japan is projected to decrease 2% to 650,000 units.
In prospect of continued strong sales in North America, overseas production is projected to be 380,000 units, which will be an annual production record.

2. Retail Sales
(Units in Thousands)

2018 Result
’18 vs ’17
2019 Plan
’19 vs ’18

Japan Sales *3

148
-16%
150
+1%

Passenger Cars *4
119
-17%
120
+1%

Overseas Sales

914
+4%
930
+2%

U.S.
680
+5%
700
+3%

Canada
58
+6%
60
+3%

Australia
50
-5%
50
+0%

China
22
-29%
25
+14%

Other *5
104
+7%
95
-9%

Global Sales
1,063
+0%
1,080
+2%

*3: Includes OEM vehicles
*4: Passenger cars excluding mini vehicles
*5: Includes vehicles from CKD production in Asia
U.S sales are projected to be 700,000 units, which will mark the 11th consecutive year of record U.S. sales.
Global sales are projected to be 1,080,000 units, which will mark the 8th consecutive year of record global sales. While production in Japan is projected to decrease 2%, the company plans to achieve the sales growth projections by optimizing vehicle distribution operations.

Forward-looking statements in this document including production and sales forecasts are based on the information available at the time of announcement and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary materially.

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[PDF/136 KB]

Self-driving motorcycles are (almost) ready to go out for a spin

When you think of autonomous vehicles, what comes to mind? Cars and trucks? Perhaps even public transport options like buses and trains? It’s these vehicles that have dominated the news around the changing mobility landscape around the world, and yet there’s a time-tested way of getting around that often goes overlooked in these discussions: motorbikes.… Continue reading Self-driving motorcycles are (almost) ready to go out for a spin

Tesla Found a Clever Way to Prevent Supercharger ICEing

Tow Another Day Put the tow cables back in your trunk. The recent news of several ICEing incidents — vehicles with internal combustion engines blocking access to electric vehicle charging stations — led to one Tesla owner towing an offending truck away from a charging station using his electric vehicle. But now, Tesla has come up with… Continue reading Tesla Found a Clever Way to Prevent Supercharger ICEing