About Subaru Philippines

From military aviation to World Rally Championship (WRC) domination, Subaru stood the test of time and have become one of the world’s most illustrious automakers. In 1932, Japanese naval officer and engineer Chikuhei Nakajima began to zero in on the science of aviation and founded the Nakajima Aircraft Company. Nakajima’s company have contributed so much in Japan’s aviation evolution, that in just over 16 years, the company leveled up as a full-on aircraft manufacturing firm.

Surviving the 2nd World War, the company was renamed Fuji Sangyo Co., which in turn created the Fuji Rabbit Motor Scooter. This company used spares and usable parts from their old aircrafts to manufacture scooters. Further success was attained in the 1950s, including the division of the Fuji Sangyo in to 12 smaller corporations, all specializing in machine engineering. Five of these merged together into a new company called the Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI). At that time, FHI was led by Kenji Kita, who decided in 1953 to venture in to automobile manufacturing. His first creation was code-named “P1”, which was soon officially named as the Subaru – the Subaru 1500 to be exact.

Many years passed and Subaru grew up to be one of Japan’s most successful automotive firms, excelling engine development and 4WD technology. Two of its most notable creations was the Subaru 100, which was the very first to car in the world to be fitted with the famed Boxer Engine, and the Subaru Leone, which was the world’s first 4WD passenger vehicle. These milestones led to the company’s success as a motorsports icon, winning multiple titles in the FIA World Rally Championship, bringing in to stardom the Subaru Impreza WRX STI.

The mid-90s saw Subaru’s entry into the Philippine motoring scene under the Columbian Motors Philippines. In 2000, Subaru PH withdrew operations, and re-entered six years later under new management. Currently, Subaru PH is under the helm of Motor Image Pilipinas Inc. (MIPI), and as the brand’s official importer and distributor, MIPI embodies the brand’s fame and great reps by offering models like the Impreza, XV, Forester, Outback, Levorg, BRZ, the Legacy, and WRX/WRX STI.