Subaru beat Volkswagen to the ugly celebration.
You need to hand it to Volkswagen. The carmaker’s sensible “It’s ugly, nevertheless it will get you there” marketing campaign, first seen in 1969, broke via the media muddle, and helped to determine Volkswagen as a maker of practical, dependable, and decidedly counter-culture automobiles.
Extra Favourite Automotive Adverts
1968 Subaru 360
Developed by DDB, the “It’s ugly” adverts have been a part of a collection of humorous and bravely model self-deprecating adverts that gained the company various 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 confer 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 oldsters 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 people determined to counsel was unwell favored by the corporate’s design workforce.
The Subaru tagline “Low cost and ugly does it!” is seen on the high 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 worth was engaging, Client Studies labelled the automotive “not acceptable,” for various causes.
Subaru 360
As a result of the 360 got here in just below 1000 kilos—a 2024 Subaru Impreza begins round 3200 kilos—it was not topic to the usual security necessities anticipated of most vehicles on the street 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 great day. The 360, nevertheless, 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 answerable for bringing Subaru to America. This is similar Malcom Bricklin who introduced America the Bricklin SV-1 sports activities automotive (1974), Worldwide Vehicle Importers (1982), Yugo (1985), Chery (2002), and the Bricklin 3EV (2024).
(Worldwide Vehicle 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 informed, 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—a minimum of in spirit.
As for the advert, we have now at hand it to Subaru/Bricklin for embracing the merchandise weak point and trying to spin it as a unusual optimistic. We’d wish to assume that Malcolm himself was answerable for the advert copy. Additionally, not like the Beetle, the 360 was, really, ugly.
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Subaru 360 Photos
(Click on beneath for enlarged photos)
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