Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles isn’t the only automaker sharing its roadmap with the world, as the manufacturer of Subaru vehicles, Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), also announced on Friday its new mid-term management vision dubbed “Prominence 2020”.
Here’s how the Japanese company outlines the plan:
“In the new management vision ‘Prominence 2020’, FHI, as a small-sized automaker, has set its corporate vision for 2020 as “not big in size, but a high-quality company with distinctive strengths”. To achieve this goal, the company will focus on two activities -“enhancing the Subaru brand” and “building a strong business structure” – through which it will further pursue added-value business and increase tolerance for changes in the business environment.”
Subaru said that key activities and goals will include becoming the “No.1 brand for overall safety”, placing a bigger emphasis on distinctive designs created on the “Dynamic & Solid” concept and improve environmental performance in both areas of internal combustion engines and vehicle electrification.
In regards to its lineup, Subaru said it plans to continuously launch new vehicles giving a particular focus on SUVs, targeting global sales of more than 1.1 million vehicles, up from 825,000 units during the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2014, with North America as the top-priority market and Japan and China as the second-pillar markets (sorry Europe, you weren’t mentioned).
Subaru will also set out company-wide efforts to reduced costs 20 percent by 2020 through several measures including the use of modular platforms, the creation of more alliances with other automakers and via leaner manufacturing processes.
In addition to what Subaru told us in their press statement, Autonews learned that the Japanese brand will introduce the new modular architecture called the “Subaru Global Platform” that will underpin most models in the range, from the Impreza to the Outback, in 2016.
It is also reported that, among the new products coming from Subaru, is a seven-seater SUV to replace the Tribeca that will be introduced sometime between 2016 and 2020, possibly made at its Indiana plant that will have greater capacity after it stops building the Toyota Camry in 2016.
Finally, Subaru will add direct injection to all of its engines, create a plug-in hybrid model utilizing Toyota technology and gradually incorporate cylinder deactivation and lean combustion cycles by 2020.
By John Halas
Note: Subaru Viziv Concept pictured
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