Subaru beat Volkswagen to the ugly occasion.
It’s important to hand it to Volkswagen. The carmaker’s sensible “It’s ugly, but it surely 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 autos.
Extra Favourite Automobile Adverts
1968 Subaru 360
Developed by DDB, the “It’s ugly” adverts have been a part of a sequence of humorous and bravely model self-deprecating adverts that gained the company a variety of awards, plus a long-term relationship with VW.
However for all of its shiny, new-think polish, the VW marketing campaign didn’t function the primary auto advert to consult with the automobile 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 ailing favored by the corporate’s design group.
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 trying.
However not solely was the 360 ugly, it was additionally unsafe. Although the automotive’s sub $1300 base value was engaging, Shopper Experiences labelled the automotive “not acceptable,” for a variety of 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 typically thought-about sluggish again within the day, the 2200-pound German financial system automotive would attain 75 mph on a superb 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 imagine.
Malcolm Bricklin
For these not within the know, no much less an automotive icon than Malcom Bricklin was chargeable 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 vehicles after Fiat ceased doing so itself. The Chery operation was created to import Chinese language automobile constructed by maker Chery to the U.S.)
Gross sales
All instructed, 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’ve at hand it to Subaru/Bricklin for embracing the product’s weak point and trying to spin it as a unusual constructive. We’d prefer to assume that Malcolm himself was chargeable for the advert copy. Additionally, not like the Beetle, the 360 was, really, kinda ugly.
1969 Dodge Adventurer: Favourite Automobile Adverts
Subaru 360 Footage
(Click on beneath for enlarged photographs)
