Dealers Scramble To Sign Up For Subaru

Dealers nationwide are scrambling to sign up for Subaru, with interest in the Japanese all-wheel drive brand at an all-time high.

And now the biggest Ford dealership in the North East – Jennings – has taken on the franchise, spending almost £800,000 on its site in Middlesbrough including the first introduction of Subaru’s new-look corporate identity.

Subaru currently boasts 87 dealers, including five new appointments this year and 10 "waiting in the wings", according to National Franchise Development Manager, Terry Leach.

He said: "Apart from many high-quality applicants, investment in upgraded or new facilities is also exceptionally strong. In addition to Jennings, we have new builds in Cardigan, Fife, Nuneaton and Doncaster.

"There is also major refurbishment planned for Bournemouth, Milton Keynes, Wincanton, Brighton and Basingstoke."

Among the 20 key open points are: Birmingham, Manchester, Watford, Chester and Truro.

Meanwhile, Jennings – which also sells Ford, Mazda and Seat from its Middlesbrough location and is the largest privately owned Ford dealership in the country – feels its new Subaru acquisition will broaden its appeal.

Group Sales and Marketing Director, Nas Khan, said: "This is the ideal franchise for us because Subaru owners are very loyal and are true motoring enthusiasts.

"In fact, even before we have started to advertise, there have been as many visitors to our Subaru showroom as any of our other franchises and these people stay longer and ask more in-depth questions. I am delighted and amazed at Subaru’s following."

Subaru is currently enjoying outstanding accolades for its Impreza, Forester and new Legacy product ranges.

The Impreza range continues to attract praise for its supercar performance, exceptional roadholding and unbeatable value while the Forester sports-utility is the Caravan Club’s ‘Towcar of the Year’.

Finally, the new Legacy and Outback are basking in the glory of two major international awards.

Not only are the sporting executive saloons and estates ‘Car of the Year Japan 2004’ but the range has been given the best-ever five stars for crashworthiness in the Australian New Car Assessment Programme and a three star pedestrian score. This is the highest combination ever recorded.

And as a further aid to customer appeal, Subaru has just slashed parts prices by up to 56 per cent, covering 200 individual part numbers, while insurance groups for the latest Forester and new Legacy and Outback are significantly lower then previous models.