Filed under: Crossover, Subaru



While we already knew that the 2012 Subaru Impreza would spawn the XV crossover overseas, now we may know what it's official name will be when it hits North America: XV Crosstrek.

Motor Authority is reporting that the compact crossover will be called XV elsewhere, but for the NA market, Subaru will be appending the Crosstrek badge. Apparently Subaru thinks this will help to further differentiate the new variant from the Impreza. Nominally an all-new model, the XV follows the same basic recipe as the long-running Impreza Outback Sport, a lifted-suspension version of the Impreza hatchback. According to the report, the Japanese automaker will also be dropping the Impreza name from the new WRX, when it arrives in 2013.

So why the new naming scheme? Here are two speculative reasons. The first is that Subaru has already seen good sales results from similar moves in the past, like splitting the Outback and Legacy into two separate lines. The second is that Impreza is well-known as an inexpensive compact car. By divorcing its variants from their humble roots, it will likely allow Subaru to charge more for them.

As to the name itself, Crosstrek? Well, it may be a bit generic, but at least it's no B9 Tribeca.Subaru to call Impreza crossover XV Crosstrek originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



Permalink | Email this | Comments

More...