Subaru is for many the epitome of the driving experience, from reliability to ease and handling; it is a prime example of potential Japanese car manufacturing. But do you know how the brand came to be a important force in the global car industry? This brief guide to the history of Subaru will equip you with all the facts to understand this popular motor brand.
The foundations of the company were laid when the Japanese company Fuji Heavy Industries (Fhi) began as The Aircraft research Laboratory in 1917. Chikuhei Nakajima led developments and in 1932 he became the key figure, changing the company name to the Nakajima Aircraft Company. With the onset of World War Ii the focus for production was on aircraft and following the war it became the Fuji Sangyo Co. Ltd. Setting about production of the Fuji Rabbit scooter using spare aircraft machinery. The company later diversified, splitting off into various dissimilar companies such as the Fuji Jidosha specialising in coach building, the Omiya Fuji Kogyo who made engines, the Fuji Kogyo which built scooters and chassis makers Utsunomiya Sharyo who later joined military with Tokyo Fuji Dangyo trading corporation.
The emphasis was then put on the manufacturing of automobiles and amelioration was pushed ahead by Kenji Kita, the Ceo of Fuji Heavy Industries which grew from the merger of Utsunomiya Sharyo and Tokyo Fuji Dangyo. The name 'Subaru' was chosen for the car producing subject and takes its name from the Japanese word for the Pleiades star group, featured on its gift logo. The first car to be designed under the name was the Subaru 1500 and so began a worldwide examine for the brand. Models such as the Sambar, the Rex, the Leone, the Impreza, the Tribeca and the Exiga were released onto the buyer and the Subaru car has been a mainstay ever since.
