Subaru parent company Fuji Heavy Industries plans to change its name to Subaru Corporation in an effort to bolster the image and recognition of its automotive brand.
In addition to building Subaru cars, Fuji Heavy Industries also builds airplanes, helicopters and commercial vehicles.
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The company traces its roots to Aircraft Research Laboratory (later to become Nakajima Aircraft), which was founded in 1917 and a supplier of airplanes to the Japanese government during World War II. After the war, the company was broken up and eventually reorganized into Fuji Heavy Industries in the early 1950s.
First Subaru launched in 1953
After building some scooters, Fuji Heavy Industries launched its first car, the Subaru 1500, in 1953. The name Subaru was a favorite of Fuji Heavy Industries’ CEO at the time. It’s the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster, a representation of which features in Subaru’s logo.
Subaru is currently enjoying its best results in its history. The brand operates in almost 90 markets and its sales projection for the year ending March 2017 is 1,050,000 units, which will be the first time its sales have surpassed the one million mark.
The name change for Fuji Heavy Industries will come into effect in April 2017, which coincides with the 100th anniversary of the founding of Aircraft Research Laboratory.
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