Subaru B9X Revealed as Name of New Seven Passenger Vehicle

SUBARU PRESS RELEASE
Subaru of America, Inc., announces the name of its brand new crossover utility vehicle, the Subaru B9X at the 2004 South Florida International Auto Show. The 2006 Subaru B9X is the first Subaru crossover utility vehicle with seating available for seven passengers.

"This is a significant milestone for Subaru," said Kunio Ishigami, Chairman, President and CEO of Subaru of America, Inc. "The Subaru B9X combines a bold new design with the trademark Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system, and is our first seven passenger vehicle."

The Subaru B9X will world premiere at the 2005 Detroit Auto Show and represents a new market for Subaru. The Subaru B9X comes equipped with the customary Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system and features an all-new design theme, delivering added style to the safety, capability and durability Subaru is so well-known for. "It is no coincidence that we are here in Miami, a market well-known for it's trend setting style, with an all-new Subaru," said Fred Adcock, Executive VP, Subaru of America, Inc. "This vehicle represents more than just a new style of Subaru. With its fun-to-drive handling and interior flexibility, this is also a Subaru that will appeal to a larger audience. The new Subaru B9X is the logical step for a current Subaru Legacy or Outback owner looking to move up in flexibility, size, feature content and refinement."

The Subaru B9X will appeal to customers searching for greater cargo capacity, helping to expand the Subaru's appeal to a new group of customers. Also three main elements of the new design include a bold new grille and fascia design, a curved roof line with a dynamic sensability, and powerful fender and wheel forms.

The Subaru B9X design theme first appeared at the Geneva Show Car in 2003, as the Subaru B11S, and was further refined on the Subaru R1e and B9SC concept cars, which both debutted in the U.S. at the 2004 North American International Auto Show. As a model which has inherited this design theme, Subaru has aptly named this car the B9X. The 2006 Subaru B9X is to be manufactured at the Subaru of Indiana Automotive plant in Lafayette, Indiana.