22 August 2007

The Japanese Car The Germans Wish They Made?


See that title? That's the tag line for the new Subaru Impreza. At present time I have no idea if it's being used outside of Canada, but I do know that in the past 2 days I've seen it plastered all over the newspaper and on TV commercials that seem to run in an endless loop of despair.

I mean seriously, this is the best marketing idea that Subaru chose from?

I was unaware that German engineers were scrambling to find ways to engineer a compact car that looks like a bar of soap with a set of late 80's Mercury Sable headlights out front, combined with a floaty suspension that completely disregards the past history of the make (if you believe the car rags). Obviously they've failed if the best they can do is the 3 Series, C-Class and upcoming 1 Series.

As time goes by, I'm finding it very difficult to believe that some of these car companies are run by sane people. It's even more bewildering now that Toyota has a stake in Subie. If you think about it, a 'pseudo-German' ad campaign makes absolutely ZERO sense in the story that is Subaru, regardless of the vehicle. They've just spent the last 10 years reinforcing the 'Outback' style and their AWD system. They went so far as to hire freaking Crocodile Dundee for an ad campaign. I'd wager that most people not into cars might have actually thought that Subaru was an Australian company.

And the solution to all this brand image? To dump it all off and go with 'Japanese but with a German edge'.

It must be too brilliant for my mind to comprehend.

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