Just goes to show if you build the right car people will buy it.... Take note Ford and Mitsubishi.

sorry if posted before did a quick search


http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sto...012441,00.html


Paul Gover

February 15, 2008 12:00am

A GLOBAL shortage of wheels has put the brakes on Subaru STi in Australia.

There is a two to three-month waiting list even before the revitalised WRX reaches showrooms, and restricted production at its Japanese factory means Subaru Australia expects no improvement.

The problem is the supply of BBS alloy wheels from Germany for the Spec.R version of the STi.

"Globally, we can build only 500 cars a month. It's all to do with the wheels," Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior says.

"BBS can do only 500 sets of wheels a month - so that's the limit. It has been revised down from 900."

The spoked BBS wheels are used only on the Spec.R, but it is expected to be the most popular model in the world during the early months of the new STi.

There will be less restriction on the regular STi, priced from $59,990, but Subaru in Japan is putting its emphasis on the Spec.R.

Senior says the STi is the car people want in the new Impreza line-up, even though the compact hatch has been selling well and helped drive Subaru Australia to its 10th straight year of record sales last year.

"We probably have about 200 orders, if we could deliver them all this month. In the coming 12 months we expect to average 70 sales a month," Senior says.

He says one problem for Subaru in Australia is the brand is booming in other countries, forcing a Japanese rethink on deliveries.

"Russia was 2000 cars five years ago but will be 50,000 by next year. Israel has gone from 5000 to 10,000," Senior says.

"Fuji is working hard to add 5000 cars a month in additional production, but they won't come on line until October."