Subaru: All-wheel drive celebrates anniversary
PIONIER This year, Subaru Corporation celebrates the 50th anniversary of all-wheel drive for passenger cars. Today, 98 percent of models delivered worldwide are equipped with the advanced Symmetrical 4x4 system.
Since the introduction of the Subaru Leone 4WD Estate Van in September 1972, the company has produced around 21 million 4×4 vehicles to date. The Leone 4WD was Japan's first mass-produced passenger car with all-wheel drive.
When the Subaru brand was launched in Switzerland in 1979, the market share of all-wheel drive passenger cars was still barely one percent. Since then, however, it has increased sharply. Today, it is close to 50 percent.
Boxer engine and symmetrical 4×4 drive
The most distinctive feature of Subaru's all-wheel drive system is its symmetrically laid-out drivetrain in conjunction with a longitudinally mounted boxer engine.
The combination of the low center of gravity due to the boxer concept and the balanced weight distribution of the symmetrical powertrain improves the vehicle's stability and traction and ensures optimum handling in a wide range of weather and road conditions.
