Subaru sales increase in July (U.S)

Subaru has bucked the trend in North America by increasing sales there, despite the slowing car market.

Sales in the US were up 5.4% in July 2008 over July 2007, and the upward trend is expected to continue; the Japanese car maker should hit its 200,000-unit target for the year.

The new Impreza is credited with much of the success, with the new hatchback model proving more popular than the previous Impreza saloon. Subaru also dropped the base price of the new Impreza by $500 to $17,640.

The success of the new Impreza in the U.S is in contrast to the car’s poor reception here in the UK, where it has sold just 1034 units so far in 2008. Subaru U.S is predicting that it will sell more than 46,000 Imprezas this year. Slow sales are put down to the lack of a diesel engine, and that problem won’t be solved until February next year, when the new boxer diesel becomes available in the Impreza.