There are few automakers so dedicated to a type of engine as Subaru is to the horizontally-opposed “Boxer” unit. In fact, the Japanese automaker identifies itself with the Boxer engine, which powers all the passenger cars it currently sells, including the diesel-powered ones.
So it should not surprise you to learn that Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), the parent company of Subaru, announced that total cumulative production of the brand’s horizontally-opposed Boxer engines has reached 15 million units.
The 15 million milestone was achieved 49 years after FHI developed the all-new horizontally-opposed water-cooled four-cylinder aluminum engine and adopted it in the Subaru 1000 compact passenger vehicle in May 1966.
In a horizontally-opposed Boxer engine, the pistons face each other in a side-to-side symmetrical layout and the opposing pistons work to cancel out the inertia force of each other, resulting in less vibration, good rotational balance and a smooth feel right up to the high rev range.
The fact that the engine has a flat, low profile also helps to lower the vehicle’s center of gravity, enhancing driving stability and handling performance.
This latest milestone comes after another important one last month, when Subaru marked the production of the 14 millionth unit of its Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system, which was first featured in the Subaru Leone 4WD Estate van launched in September 1972.
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