RETAIL TORQUEKEEPING THE NETWORK INFORMEDAUGUST 2014www.subaru.co.za

MARKET vs SSA PERFORMANCE

SA Passenger Market

-6%

July 201439,945

July 201340,363

-1%

Jan - Jul 14248,382

+40%

SUBARUJuly 2014

126July 2013

90

Jan - Jul 13264,379

+24%Jan - Jul 14

787

Jan - Jul 13635

YEAR TO DATE

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SUBARUPASSENGER MKT

NAAMSA Market Commentary:For July 2014, the new car market remained under pressure at 39,945 units, reflecting a decline of 418 units or a fall of 1% compared to the 40, 363 new cars sold in July last year. Year to date (Jan to July ’14), the passenger car market is down 6%.

SUBARU Sales Commentary:Despite a challenging trading environment, Subaru grew by 40% in July 2014 over July 2013.

Year to date (Jan to July 2014), Subaru is up 24% over 2013 despite the overall market declining by 6%.

It is also worth noting that the Subaru market share Year to date July 2014 is up to 0.32% vs 0.24%, which reflects a growing positive trend.

This result has been achieved through the strong commitment and focus of the Subaru dealer network who despite challenging market conditions persist and persevere. Well done to all. Lets keep it up.

Quarterly Targets Per DealerBryanston JHB Centurion Durban PMB Cape Town SSW

July 22 22 21 14 9 13 6Aug 25 25 23 15 10 14 8Sep 26 26 24 16 10 15 8Total 73 73 68 45 29 42 22Forester 36 36 34 22 15 16 11Outback 5 5 5 4 2 4 2

EL PE Bloem Nelspruit Botswana SSA TotalJuly 6 6 6 5 6 4 140Aug 6 6 6 6 6 4 154Sep 6 6 6 6 6 7 162Total 18 18 18 17 18 15 456Forester 8 8 8 8 8 12 222Outback 2 2 2 2 2 2 39

Subaru Market Shareof Passenger Market:

July 2014 = 0.32%

YTD 2013 = 0.24%YTD 2014 = 0.32%

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same quality, more confidence

5-YEAR/150 000 km

Taking peace-of-mind to a whole new level

Offer available on new Subaru Forester and Outback models,for a limited time only. Subaru Outback 2.0 Diesel extension period is

5-years/100 000 km.

MAINTENANCE PLAN

GAUTENG: SUBARU BRYANSTON 011 463 2400 SUBARU CENTURION 012 653 7309 SUBARU JOHANNESBURG 011 622 0260 WESTERN CAPE: SUBARU CAPE TOWN 021 430 8000 SUBARU SOMERSET WEST 021 853 8618 EASTERN CAPE: SUBARU EAST LONDON 043 701 6400 SUBARU PORT ELIZABETH 041 453 3430 KZN: SUBARU DURBAN 031 365 6600 SUBARU PIETERMARITZBURG 033 342 9922 FREESTATE: SUBARU BLOEMFONTEIN 051 448 6000 MPUMALANGA: SUBARU NELSPRUIT 013 753 3407 WWW.SUBARU.CO.ZA

SMS your name to 31276 to book a test drive, or #askSubaru for more info.Standard SMS rates apply.

NEW SPONSORSHIP POLICY

5-YEAR/150 000KM MAINTENANCE CAMPAIGN

As evidenced by our brand promise of Confidence in Motion, Subaru takes pride in building the highest quality vehicles for the enjoyment and peace-of-mind of our customers.

Now, to further demonstrate the belief in our vehicles, we have initiated a 5-Year/150 000km maintenance plan extensions, available for free on purchase of any Forester or Outback model.

This campaign came into effect on 1 July and will run until 30 September 2014. On our Outback 2.0 Diesel, the extension period is also 5 years but limited to 100 000km. Furthermore, the XV’s extended offer is 4years/105 000km.

The national marketing campaign is underway, focusing on TV, print and digital.

This success of this campaign will determine the viability of a long-term imple-mentation of this extended maintenance plan across all models. We have also included unique SMS short codes to each medium of advertising in order to gauge their success rates. In the first month of this campaign we received 86 leads from the SMS numbers, of which 70% were generated via TV. The specific results will allow us to focus on the mediums that work best for call-to-action advertising which is why your feedback on these leads are of utmost impor-tance.

All dealers are requested to complete and submit weekly the Campaign Track-ing form issued by SSA. Without this feedback, we cannot ascertain the level of success and demand for this into the future.

We’ve implemented a new policy for the analysis and manage-ment of all sponsorships by SSA. This will ensure that all spon-

sorship requests are similarly evaluated and aligned with our overall marketing strategy. Attached you will find this policy as well as an evaluation form. Please use this as a guideline for evaluating your own sponsorships as well in order to accurately determine value and return on your investment. By using the same criteria we will ensure that our target markets are reached in a consistent manner through strategic and targeted sponsorships

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“Subaru has gone the extra mile with this one to ensure the Enthusiast enjoys the car in its standard form, to be honest I must admit this car met all my expectations and then went beyond that.

The Exterior is just eye catching and something I could stare at all day had I owned one. Moving onto the Interior, I found myself in a cockpit that was setup with the driver in mind. Everything was in the right place and the much needed controls was only a touch away on the MFD screen. The best part was standard digital boost gauge. The driving experi-ence was somewhat different to the previous gen, this STI was very responsive throughout the rev range and the handling was like that of a Samurai with a Katana….Sharp, Precise and Effortless.”

~ Roumando Yelliah, SOCSA member.

July was the month in which big brother, the WRX STI, joined the Subaru stable alongside the WRX. Available as a 6MT premium grade model, the

vehicle has already received recognition for its rally inspired handling, and raw performance ability. Click on the link above to watch CAR Magazine’s video review of the new WRX STI.

NEW WEBSITEWe recently launched our new digital home. The new website is more user-friendly with relevant content now more easily accessible. The new portal now includes the Subaru brand website, the preowned vehicle website and all dealer websites integrated into one portal for easier accessibility from one starting point. Mobile devices are becoming more and more prominent for accessing the internet and all content must be mobile friendly.

We also made use of responsive design which means that you can access the site from any mobile or tablet device and the layout will automatically adjust for optimised display.So far, we have experienced growth in our first month of web traffic, with brochure downloads up by 300% compared with

the usual old website rate.

MARKETING TRENDS FOR 2014It is critical to remain up to date and even in front of current marketing trends to ensure that your marketing messages reach your intended target market on the preferred platform and in the most effective and impactful way.

Key in today’s marketing is to be active on all platforms, including digital and social media. People expect you to find them on the platforms that they use – they shouldn’t have to search to find you. Engagement has also become paramount and marketers must be prepared to respond to their target market as quickly as possible.

All media channels still have a place in an overall marketing strategy, the important aspect is to determine which channel is used for which goal. This will allow you to accurately determine the success of a campaign and the return-on-investment that was achieved. Traditional media like TV and radio are more often used for brand building and a wider reach. More engaging and traceable platforms like digital and social media are mainly used for call-to-action marketing with a more targeted campaign.

• If you don't get them the first time, try again in another way -Remarketing

• Increased diversity in social media

• Visual content will continue to surge (focus on infographics, video clips & other forms of visual stimulation)

• Short messages will be the focus (lengthy posts are a thing of the past) the aim will be on quality info with links & hashtags)

• More mobile takeovers

Source: www.webmaster-success.com

• Generating quality content - to attract & retain customers

• The monologue marketing message evolved into a dialogue by rewarding consumers that engage with brands

http://bit.ly/1kd3JSR

The Subaru Owners Club of South Africa (SOCSA) had first-hand experience of the WRX STI and had this to say:

Click here

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Feels lower with a wider view of the road, the steering is so smooth and feels effortless to turn even around a circle. The take-off and initial pull is pure excitement, this car has pure adrenaline rush under your right foot. The car feels like it’s one with the road, there is no point where you feel like you are not in total control and you do feel like this car can surpass all its competitors in all sectors. Subaru really have made a road car that is race car worthy.

~ WRX owner, SOCSA member.

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WRX STI LAUNCHED

To see how this story plays out we grabbed one of the first WRXs off a container from Japan for a blast around the Western Cape’s Walker Bay. An area infamous for its dangerous waters and shark cage diving, we’ll see if the WRX can navigate its way through the choppy waters of modern performance motoring. But before that, let’s take a moment to explore from what stock the WRX hails.

McRae vs Makinen

Like Prost and Senna, Lauda and Hunt and the silver arrows of Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz from pre-WW2, the most spectacular outcomes are borne out of fierce rivalry. The same can be said of the road-going rally phenomenon that perpetuated itself in Japan in the 1990s. In 1992, just a month apart from one an-other, Mitsubishi and Subaru released their Group A World Rally Champion-ship competitors; the first iterations of the Lancer Evo and Impreza: mortal foes who’d battle for pride and prestige for two decades. WRC rules capped engine displacement at 2.0-litres, while Japa-nese Domestic Market rules dictated street cars be capped at 280 horsepower (206kW).The rules, while limiting, didn’t dictate

how much torque, how light or how hi-tech the all-wheel drive systems could be. The JDM foes tried to outwit, out-manoeuvre and outmuscle each other in these three departments. Subaru went a mechanically biased route with a low-mounted boxer engine, viscous limited slip differentials and a front end so grippy it was misconstrued with a reputation for understeer. All told, Subaru came out on top: from seven WRC Constructors’ titles won by Japanese manufacturers between 1993 and 1999; three went to Subaru, three to Toyota and one to Mitsubishi. Twenty-two years on and it all seems a bit fuzzy now, doesn’t it? Even though a whole phalanx of modern perfor-mance cars borrow the layout first expoused by these two JDMers.

After 22 years as a road-going rally Samurai, Subaru has disbanded the Impreza nameplate and Mitsubishi is killing off the Evo. So, just as it was in feudal Japan, the Subaru WRX is forced to go it alone, masterless, like a Ronin.

22YEARSA RONIN

TOPCAR June 2014

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Back to realityI confront a rather diminutive, almost shy and retiring red shape sitting at the docks. Tradition-ally, you’d be forgiven for thinking Subaru styled cars in the hope of awarding them no social status whatsoever and at a distant glance the WRX looks much the same, but approach closer and some wholesome nuggets will whet your appetite. Sure, the WRX was always the one to be talked-over by the big-winged and gold-wheeled STI and the same will happen with a brand new STI but for now the WRX looks com-pact, undercover and yet menacing if you know what to look for… Dare I say it, with a bit of Kia Koup to be found in profile and a hint of BMW 3

and 4 Series at the rear three quarter panel.The WRX’s new face borrows much from the very cool 2006 Prodrive P2 – Prodrive is the Banbury-based company that built Subaru’s WRC cars. The signature Scooby bonnet scoop is still in attendance to intimidate all who see it but it’s recessed into the bonnet courtesy of shapely lines cresting up from the front grille and pincer-shaped headlights. The 17-inch gunmetal wheels wrapped in low profile rubber don’t look as small as they sound; while at the back you get a faux rear diffuser, boot lid spoiler and four trumpet-ing exhaust pipes. On looks alone it duly ad-dresses the unsavoury reputation fast Subarus of old had acquired.

Anger managementWith 197kW at 5 600rpm and 350Nm of torque between 2 400 and 5 200rpm, the figures only tell half the story. Subaru claims 0-100kph in 6.0 seconds dead and while we posted 6.85 seconds (a figure we could’ve improved upon), we chose not to detonate a still factory-fresh clutch with a slip launch just to gain a few tenths. Truth be told, the acceleration is pretty brutal anywhere in the rev range but getting the WRX off the line is a real rigmarole – something flappy-paddled competitors with launch control wouldn’t know anything about these days.The gear lever is offset to the left, leaving plenty

of room for rapid-fire shifting. Overall the shift quality feels substantial and rewards a precise and firm input. Controlling the turbo surge in mid-corner scenarios when holding a neu-tral throttle, and a smooth driving line, takes concentrated input and often a slight lift off the throttle to keep the spooled-turbo at bay. Any errant footwork will see you applying kiloWatts and Newton metres that you and the car are not

prepared for and inevitable push-understeer from the symmetrical drive will result. In that re-spect the WRX is not a car that drives for you but it also makes for a refreshingly physical drive.

Corner like SolbergWith the old WRX it was always important to trace a conventional out-in-out line to eliminate understeer but the new WRX feels more ma-noeuvrable; more willing to rely on its rear axle for mid-corner composure and carry high corner speed. Highly agile upon corner entry, you don’t need to send the car’s weight forward with a cursory lean on the brakes like you might’ve done with the old one’s woolly front end. The WRX can be placed within centimetres of where you want it thanks to more precise steering, and with sharp corner entry guaranteed; you can rely on that traditional all-wheel drive insurance policy before booting the throttle and power-ing out at one helluva lick. This WRX may have a new torque-vectoring system but our manual WRX still has the traditional viscous-coupling locking centre differential and a simple 50:50 front-to-rear torque split.Competitor systems are more hi-tech but the handling is easy and predictable – you’re in control. Weighing 1 464kg, the lightness plays a role in this urgency, as do the obedient Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres. We were worried about the relatively small looking brakes but the pedal feel is good and ABS kicks in reluctantly but firmly when needed. Previous WRXs were woefully mild on the limit and prone to rolling and dip-ping, but not this one. The ride is firm over slow speed compressions with suspension stroke

improving as speeds pick up. Nevertheless, a little bit of bounce is still to be expected when cracking-on and this bobbing sensation feels as if it assists changing direction, while also point-ing to how grippy the four contact patches are on the road.

Masterful not masterlessOur road trip has swung us on the new Subaru WRX. You always got the sense in the past that the urgent priority for Subaru was to make Im-

Subtle enough to blend, serious enough to turn heads in the sleepy town of Stanford

Limited roll and predictable handling are where the new WRX has come on in leaps and bounds

prezas faster cars, not improved cars. The new WRX is refined like never before but can still head bang with driver involvement you’ll strug-gle to find anywhere else nowadays. Better still, the hiatus period from Impreza to WRX means pent-up demand should easily satisfy the meas-ured supply. Our road trip was a confirmation of its talents rather than an exercise in cynicism over a genre of car we thought had had its day. The WRX is no masterless Ronin. In fact, it’s one masterful samurai.

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MEDIA REACTION TO THE NEW

Click here

WRX

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The overall reception of this revamped legend has been extremely positive. A brief sum-

mary of the media feedback received is that the new WRX has kept and even improved

its legendary performance characteristics, with enhanced practicality and comfort levels,

and that it carries a very competitive price tag for what it offers.

Alongside are a number of quotes from differing media to illustrate the positive reaction

that the WRX has achieved as well as a video review from IGNITION TV below.

“…very little can touch the WRX’s ability when the asphalt starts snaking and the combination of its all-wheel drive and nimble chassis make it a very engaging driver’s tool.” Car Magazine

“Remarkably more refined than any WRX before, yet still swift and agile enough to justify its perfor-mance car billing.” Lance Branquinho – Top Gear

“Danksy sy meganiese 4x4-stelsel, lewendige stuuraksie en geweerslot-ratskakeling bied die WRX ’n ervaring wat enige geesdriftige sal laat glimlag omdat hy die Subaru se tydrenmalligheid kan ervaar, met die bonus dat dié motor nou gerieflik en brandstofdoeltreffend is.

Martin Pretorius - InRat

“For the money, you’re getting a well-equipped, spacious, practical (massive boot) and quick family sedan – exactly what a Subaru WRX should be.” David Taylor – Cars.co.za

Subaru Driving Experience’s Advanced Driving Course has proven itself again to be the most popular option for those who seek a day of fun and excite-ment in legendary vehicles. Seven guests attended the Advanced Driving Course on Saturday, 19 July, at the Gerotek Test Facility outside Pretoria. The following elements from part of the course in an attempt to educate the attendees about basic driving skills and of course the capability of Subaru vehicles:

- Vehicle handling and observation - Braking distance recognition- Emergency lane change - Over- and understeer- Gymkhana challenge

MEDIA COMMENTS

http://bit.ly/1me9QaB

The attendees mentioned that the course was stunning and it highlighted the flaws in their current driving skills. In total, more than 35 guests have enjoyed an Advanced Driv-ing Course this year. With an Off Road Course and tailor-made corporate events also available, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t consider the Subaru Driving Academy as a tool to add value to your existing and potential customers’ purchasing experience.Visit www.subaru.co.za and click on the SDE link for more information on the academy.

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Subaru Nelspruit OpensSANI PASS EXCURSION

Somerset West takes customers for a getaway in Rooiberg Lodge

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Subaru Nelspruit has moved

to new premises and is operational from 1 August 2014. Good luck to all involved and hopefully your new home will bring new successes.

Subaru Cape Town invited customers for Dunes Drive recently and these are the pictures that captured all the fun, had on the day.

Subaru Nelspruit hosted their first official breakfast run with mostly Impreza clients on the 13th July 2014 showing the customer base the progress of the new Subaru Nelspruit.

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Subaru Johannesburg, along with the Subaru Driving Experience, brought to-

gether a family of Subaru’s and their owners to explore the untamed roads

of Lesotho and surrounding areas during a chilly May. Their journey began at

the foot of the Sani Pass and then went up the notorious twists and turns until they

reached the peak for that special postcard moment of accomplishment. The first

day took them on what seemed like endless gravel roads, surrounded by magnifi-

cent views of Lesotho, its inhabitants and livestock. Day two was extremely educa-

tional, including the privilege of touring the Katse Dam wall before sadly having to

leave the off road trails behind and take on the road ahead. In total, 21 guests got

to learn more about the off road value and capabilities of their vehicles, resulting in

even more confidence in motion!

All-new home for Subaru Head Office and Subaru Johannesburg

The brand new Subaru Johannesburg dealership in Edenvale was official-ly launched at a glittering event on the 22nd of May 2014. More than 100 guests attended the launch of the biggest Subaru dealership in South Af-rica, including customers, media and dignitaries from Japan. The show-room design elements of the new Johannesburg dealer will in future be used as the official corporate identity for all new Subaru dealerships in order to create a consistent modern look and feel across the entire retail network.

Subaru Southern Africa has also now moved to these premises during July and all head office staff are extremely excited and positive about what the future holds in our new home.

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The used vehicle diplay showroom

SUBARU PE HOSTS BREAKFAST RUNThe Subaru PE breakfast run was held on Saturday, 19th July, and started at 8:00am with customers arriving at the dealership to enjoy some hot coffee and rusks before the big day. Local TV show, “Wheels on The Bay”, were also present to capture the entire day and enjoy the Subaru experience. The event will air on a local TV channel within the next few weeks.

Robin Spence then welcomed everybody and thanked custom-ers and employees for the suc-cessful year. Crystal Watson from the MTR Smit Children’s Home was then given an opportunity to provide more information about the Children’s Home and the great work that they do in the com-munity. A cheque of R8,000 was handed over to Crystal by Robin Spence on behalf of Subaru SA.

Gerhard Strydom gave a little in-sight into the Subaru Breakfast Runs that happen in Port Eliza-beth on a monthly basis. He then handed another cheque of R8,000 over to Crystal on behalf of Suba-ru PE and customers. Crystal then thanked Subaru for the donation and offered a free stand at their annual air show tent.

Excited customers eagerly await the start.

SSA and Subaru PE donated R16,000 in total to the MTR Smit Children’s Home

After final instructions on the itinerary and the route, we left Subaru PE at 09:00am and headed for The Lookout Restaurant, Kirkwood, a 70km drive on the R75. In total 52 Subaru vehicles participated in the run with 98 people participating.

On route to The Lookout there was a gathering point for those who didn’t know the way. Customers were also given the opportunity to drive the new Subaru vehicles to the various points. After a warm welcome at The Lookout, customers mingled discussing their cars and helped themselves to a very delicious break-fast at a low cost of R60/head.

After breakfast interviews were conducted by the “Wheels on the Bay” cast with Robin, Gerhard, Lester and a few customers to discuss the day, their vehicles and the Subaru lifestyle.

It was a very successful day and the customer feedback was extremely positive. Here’s to the next Subaru PE Breakfast Run…

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South African Subaru owners can rest easy as the recent global Subaru recalls, issued by Subaru on an international scale, do not affect any South African Subaru vehicles.

While the problems, which include improper inflation of passenger-side airbags supplied to Subaru in Japan, potential corrosion of brake lines in markets where salt is used to improve grip on snow-covered or icy road surfaces, have not yet resulted in any vehicles performing dangerously or with fault, Subaru is implementing immediate action to fix and prevent any complications from potentially occurring.

Global recalls of certain Legacy, Outback, Forester and Impreza mod-els manufactured between 2003 and 2009 have been implemented in affected markets in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. To this end, Subaru vehicles in South Africa are not affected and the recalls should be of no concern to any South African Subaru owners.

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SOUTH AFRICAN SUBARU OWNERS NOT AFFECTED BY GLOBAL RECALL

WRX / WRX STI Accessories

LAUNCH SPECIAL OFFER ON THE BODY KIT CONTINUES

Contact Subaru Southern Africa’s Parts Department for price and stock availability. Accessories available while stock last.

Front Spoiler E2410VA000 Side Spoiler E2610VA000

Rear Side Spoiler E5610VA000 Rear Under Spoiler SDN E5610VA100

Exhaust Finisher E7710VA700 Sport Exhaust 44300VA000SSA

SATNAV Multimedia System LSAT NAV CA-325 Detachable Towbar L1010VA000-ST

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Important Bulletins and Information

• Technical bulletin: Non-replacement of Antifreeze – Issued 1 July 2014.• New Warranty Policy and Procedure Manual - Issued 1 July 2014.• Warranty Claim info bulletin – Issued 31 July 2014

Training

Step Training coming up:

• 4 - 5 August 2014: Group 2• 11 - 12 August 2014: Group 1

Forester XT Service Campaign

We have initiated a Service Campaign for all 2013 and 2014 Forester XT models, with immediate effect.Please refer to the dealer communication issued by Deon van Heerden on 18 July for details.

Whilst SSA has spark plugs on back order from supplier, we ask for all deal-ers with stock presently, to initiate and complete the campaign as soon as possible.

Contact the SSA Technical Team should you require more info.

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1. STI T-shirt BJSTSG10100410

FOR THE ENTHUSIAST...

2. STI Driving SunglassesJSTSG12100020

3. STI GT Team JerseyJSTSG12100250

4. STI BlousonJSTSG12101050

5. STI JerseyJSTSG12101100

6. STI Team JacketJSTSG13100110

8. STI T-shirtJSTSG13100640

7. STI Knit CapJSTSG13100730

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Contact Subaru Southern Africa’s Parts Department for price and stock availability.

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WRX STI BREAKS WORLD RECORD, AGAIN.

Douglas, Isle of Man, 6 June 2014 - In a final timed run on the Isle of Man TT Course, Mark Higgins broke his own lap record of the fabled 59.2 km course in the brand new Subaru WRX STI with an average lap speed of 188 km/h and a time of 19 minutes and 15 second. This new lap record breaks the 186.35 km/h average and time of 19:26 set on Wednesday 4 June. The previous record of 184.57 km/h was set in 2011, also in a WRX STI.

The car Higgins drove is a stock US-spec 2014 Subaru WRX STI, with the exception of an FIA-spec roll-cage, racing seat and harness, fire suppression system and modified springs and dampers to handle the sustained high speeds and changing conditions of the course. The Subaru WRX STI also featured Dunlop Direzza tires and a high decibel straight exhaust for crowd safety. The speed limiter was also removed from the car. After setting the record Higgins stated, “Setting the re-cord was both the most exhilarating and the most frightening thing I have ever done.” T

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http://bit.ly/TvErbbClick here

http://bit.ly/1la7YCx

RETAIL TORQUE - ISSUE 01 2014For internal use only. To be published bi-monthly

Submit news, pictures, your feedback & suggestions towillemr@subaru.co.za