Subaru beat Volkswagen to the ugly social gathering.
It’s important to hand it to Volkswagen. The carmaker’s good “It’s ugly, however it will get you there” marketing campaign, first seen in 1969, broke via the media litter, and helped to determine Volkswagen as a maker of practical, dependable, and decidedly counter-culture automobiles.
Extra Favourite Automobile Adverts
1968 Subaru 360
Developed by DDB, the “It’s ugly” adverts had been a part of a collection of humorous and bravely model self-deprecating adverts that received the company quite a lot of awards, plus a long-term relationship with VW.
However for all of its shiny, new-think polish, the VW marketing campaign didn’t characteristic the primary auto advert to consult with the car being promoted as ugly. That honor goes to Subaru.
Historical past
Beating VW to the ugly punch by about 12 months, the parents on the newly-established Subaru of America slapped collectively an early advert for 3 merchandise the corporate would import to the U.S., together with a tiny van, a tiny pickup, and a miniature automotive known as the 360. It was the 360 that Subaru advertising of us determined to recommend was sick favored by the corporate’s design group.
The Subaru tagline “Low-cost and ugly does it!” is seen on the prime of the advert shared right here, and if we’re being truthful, we’re inclined to agree that the 360 was fairly awkward wanting.
However not solely was the 360 ugly, it was additionally unsafe. Although the automotive’s sub $1300 base value was enticing, Shopper Studies labelled the automotive “not acceptable,” for quite a lot of causes.
Subaru 360
As a result of the 360 got here in slightly below 1000 kilos—a 2024 Subaru Impreza begins round 3200 kilos—it was not topic to the usual security necessities anticipated of most automobiles on the highway on the time. And, whereas the Beetle was usually thought of gradual again within the day, the 2200-pound Beetle would attain 75 mph on a very good day. The 360, nonetheless, powered by a 423-cc 2-stroke 2-cylinder engine, was reported to have a most velocity of between 51 and 59 mph, relying on who you need to consider.
Malcolm Bricklin
For these not within the know, no much less an automotive icon than Malcom Bricklin was liable for bringing Subaru to America. This is identical Malcom Bricklin who introduced America the Bricklin SV-1 sports activities automotive (1974), Worldwide Car Importers (1982), Yugo (1985), Chery (2002), and the Bricklin 3EV (2024).
(Worldwide Car Importers was created to import the Fiat X1/9 and 2000 sports activities automotive after Fiat ceased doing so itself. The Chery operation was created to import Chinese language car constructed by maker Chery to the U.S.)
Gross sales
All advised, Bricklin imported 10,000 360s to the U.S., in addition to a small variety of the aforementioned vans and pickups. Bricklin himself left Subaru in 1971 after taking the American enterprise public. Earlier than leaving, Bricklin started importing the Subaru FF-1 Star, a conventional-looking small sedan with considerably extra energy than the 360. In some ways, the Star was actually the primary American-market Subaru—no less than in spirit.
As for the advert, now we have handy it to Subaru/Bricklin for embracing the merchandise weak spot and making an attempt to spin it as a unusual constructive. We’d wish to assume that Malcolm himself was liable for the advert copy. Additionally, in contrast to the Beetle, the 360 was, really, ugly.
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(Click on under for enlarged photographs)
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