Tribeca Continues its Sales Dominance

February sales are in:

 

http://media.subaru.com/index.php?s=43&item=152

 

 

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/1346/capturelz.jpg

hahahah

Gee...

 

Tribeca, even if it has Subaru reliability, a boxer engine, and AWD... It is an also-ran competitor in the CUV market.

 

Now Outback is just as big, has the same drivetrain, as much or more ground clearance, and is pretty much the same size inside, not counting the contortionist third row that nobody can use.

 

Oh... sales have fallen off a cliff, you say? NAW.... say it isn't so! ...that a no-longer-new Subaru product that chased the market trends is not selling.

 

Oh, and there is no inventory, you say? How can you sell a vehicle that you can't see or touch? Gee, that is a good question.

 

I call par for the course, for SOA.

Methinks it'll get the mercy kill later this year....

 

 

I agree with IWSS. I saw a new Forester, and new Outback, and a new Tribeca, all in black, parked in stalls at the dealership a couple months back, and from head-on I could not tell which vehicle was which.

 

 

I had to walk around to the back to read the badges. I was embarrassed as a car guy, and a Subaru fan that I had to do this.

 

 

How do you sell a premium priced 'SUV' when the OB and Forester do almost all of what the 'Beca does, just with a little less glamour.

The 'Beca's been cursed from day one by being introduced during Subaru's "pignose" phase and having the lovely "B9 Tribeca" moniker. It was mercifully restyled and lost its "benign" appellation, but I believe it still carries the stigma of being butt ugly and having a forgettable name from day one.

 

Oddly enough, the 2010 Outback has been butt ugly from day one, but it's selling well.

 

Out of Subaru's three CUVs, the 09+ Forester is by far the best looking. Too bad you can't get a 2.5XT with the 5MT anymore.

Ooooooooooooo....these are gonna be collector items!!!! $$$$$$$$$

Tribeca will continue to slide as there is virtually no inventory. It'd be a different story if there were thousands sitting on dealer lots with big incentives and they weren't selling. There were just over 300 Tribecas on dealer lots last month. That means the sold over half of what was available. That also means it would have been impossible to sell enough to meet or beat the prior year's sales.

Too bad you can't get a 2.5XT with the 5MT anymore.

 

Americans. We like our dum dum stop pedal go pedal cars. Automatic is a "feature" you pay up for.

 

I'll take a 6MT please. A real transmission might even make the loser TriBAKA a reasonable ride?

I am going to go out on a limb and say it is going happen every month until Subaru kills it. I blame it on the horrible Goodyear LS2 tires that were standard...they really sucked.

Ooooooooooooo....these are gonna be collector items!!!! $$$$$$$$$

 

Word on the street has it that Jay Leno has 5 Tribecas tucked away in a secret garage location.

He used to have six but he gave one to Conan O'Brien as a going away present.

Out of Subaru's three CUVs, the 09+ Forester is by far the best looking. Too bad you can't get a 2.5XT with the 5MT anymore.

 

Wholeheartedly agree. It also is the most naturally SUV looking vehicle. The outback looks like a CUV-sized vehicle still trying to fit into those old wagon clothes that don't fit anymore.

 

Tribeca looks like a CUV in size and shape, that is trying to wear sleek car bodylines with the compound curves and smooth surfacing. (and I agree with the comment above, of still being overshadowed by a bad first impression from the schnoz style.)

 

People rumored when the new Forester dropped, that the lack of manual gearbox on the XT was foretelling of an XT Sport model, more along the lines of 2009 WRX upgraded power and specs...

 

Where the heck is it?

 

Where is the turbo diesel boxer in the Forester?

 

Other small SUVs are getting V6s... where is the 3.0R or 3.6R H6 option for the Forester... maybe wearing an LLBean or Columbia, or other brand co-op premium badge?

 

Where is the Forester STI?

 

Heck, why not have a Forester SUT with those options, and show how the Baja SHOULD have been done... with proper truck-ish looks, and capable drivetrains and decent towing capability for it's size...

 

SOMETHING....

 

Because honestly the Impreza XV is underwhelming, and both the 4 and 5 door Imprezas are still ugly looking.

 

We still haven't seen a square inch of the Subaru Coupe bodywork to look forward to, and that rumor has been percolating for years now.

 

The Legacy is no longer an enthusiast vehicle, IMO... fine for mainstreamers...

 

Subaru sales have been way up... where is the re-investement in new product? where are the results of success? When sales were down a couple years ago, it was the excuse for Subaru not bringing up new concepts or models very much.

 

Now sales are up... lets see some signs of life!

Dont expect Subaru to reinvest in their brand or cars. Not in the short term

 

 

They will have to sustain their sales before that happens.

 

Generally, Honda and Toyota for are able to keep a hefty sales pace across their product line, from start to end of the product life cycle

 

And they carry over a high previous generation owners.

 

It remains to be seen if Subaru can do the same over a long period

so is it bad or good for subaru that toyota tripped over its own feet recently?

It can only be good. People worried about buying Toyota cars will be buying other brands, and some of those should make it to Subaru.

Dont expect Subaru to reinvest in their brand or cars. Not in the short term - snip - It remains to be seen if Subaru can do the same over a long period

 

I somewhat agree... but Subaru isn't exactly in a comfortable lead, product wise.

 

and while maybe they don't break barriers, they should at least be keeping up their products.

 

If you aren't growing, you're dying. There ain't no third direction. Cash in hand doesn't matter all that much in business, if your figurative pants are around your ankles when it comes time to run.

 

lemming-think would be to retract and re-trench, when skeptical about the future. I have a feeling that is what they are thinking, to a certain extent.

 

But I have a feeling that the smart money is spent building a high-value position, and spending wisely to fortify your position, when you have a good source of current money.

 

Subaru could do that. They could make their cars look better, so that aesthetics isn't a hurdle, but a selling point. The only car that looks like it should right now, arguably, is Forester. The rest of the whole lineup has looks that have to be overcome, rather than looks that bring people in, and Tribeca has other problems, even if people don't mind the way it looks now.

 

They could make their cars a bit more diverse, like a choice of interior colors with paint color choice, and also a choice of engine.

 

They could help themselves greatly with an upgraded automatic transaxle, that will remove the un-spoken barrier of ~260 ft.lbs. of torque that the current 5EAT has... and then un-corking their EZ series H6 models.

 

Offering a Build-to-order program with interior color choice, and maybe even the choice of a manual 6-speed gearbox with an H6 or Turbo H4 engine in some sportier models, rather than automatic only... might help.

 

There are little things that Subaru can do to help make buying a Subaru an EASIER proposition for people who happen to know what they specifically want.

 

Making people waffle over whether they really want a Subaru bad enough to overcome the looks of the car, or the lack of features here or there, is an obstacle to sales. Removing that obstacle is a STRONGER business position, and a very worth-while use of revenue, to help ensure that revenue continues to come in.

 

And they need to show us the upcoming coupe, already... this is getting ridiculous.

We like our Tribeca, but it is true, we don't see too many of them on the road.

 

Just got back from taking our 09 Tribeca down to Myrtle Beach for a golf vacation. It fit 3 people, loaded down with their suitcases and golf bags, and never felt weighed down. No complaints, and yes those stock tires did suck, I put a set of cooper discoverers on before the winter and it handles snow great now.

 

I like the foresters too, but if you drive both you will definitely tell they are different classes of vehicles. I just wish it had the new stereo, bluetooth, and navi that the 10's got.

The Toyota face plant will prove to be good for other automakers and Toyota loyalists alike. Nay-sayers will buy other brands and the loyalists are gonna get their Toyotas alot cheaper.....everyone wins, but Toyota.

i luv our tribeca....subbie ride with 7 people (including my 2 kids in the back seats) all together. best interior, smoothest ride, and holds the most people for any subbie.

Oddly enough, the 2010 Outback has been butt ugly from day one, but it's selling well.

 

But it's butt ugly in a socially acceptable way.

Subaru gave up on the Tribeca after the 2008 model year. We'll just have to see what it will be reincarnated as.

 

It's funny how this thread focuses on the least positive thing about February even though Subaru had a record February in Legacy, Outback, Forester, and total sales.

I like the Tribeca, but it costs even more than it did, which is over $30k. Get it down to mid 20s or at least give it something appealing.

We've gone over this. The Tribeca is not overpriced for the segment. It's old, cramped on 3rd row legroom and down on features. Any similarly equipped midsized SUV is more expensive.

 

If the Tribeca was $25k... there'd be no point in the Outback. The Tribeca needs to grow. In size, not come down in price.

The Outback and Tribeca are two completely different vehicles. $30k base is ridiculous. Its a Subaru, not an Acura.

That's your mental block that a Subaru can't be priced that high. All of the vehicles in the segment are more expensive comparably equipped... Everything from a Hyundai to a Toyota. A base, base, base model Acura MDX STARTS at $43,040.

 

 

Price is definitely not the Tribeca's issue.

 

http://i48.tinypic.com/14cyzhi.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/rljg2d.jpg

http://i50.tinypic.com/2n9bbiv.jpg

 

 

Also, it doesn't matter that they are different vehicles. You can't overlap prices that way.

 

Shame on you rao for continuing to kick of this retarded discussion every month. Subaru has record sales and you choose to direct the discussion to the carline that subaru is actively killing off.