Automakers are consistently fretting about losing Generation Y, and they’re turning their attention to reaching us. We think a lot of that lack of interest among Gen Y has to do with economic factors. Things like unemployment and gas prices have a strong impact.
Driving your own car has become an increasingly frivolous expense for some. Beyond that though, automakers need to make vehicles we are interested in. Thankfully, we’ve seen a lot more of that lately.
The Subaru BR-Z/Scion FR-S/Toyota FT-86 is a car both companies hope will reach younger buyers and enthusiasts alike. What enthusiasts want and what the general public wants to buy aren’t always the same thing however. Hence things we pan sometimes do very well and things we advocate for…..not so much. We can think of a few examples of this.
Given all the hype in automotive circles, the success of this trio of cars will be very interesting to watch. According to Automotive News, early returns seem to indicate a high level of interest here in the here and around the world. In Japan, the Subaru BR-Z went on sale on February 3rd. Since then, the company reports that it has sold 3,551 BR-Zs.
That might not seem like much, but Subaru has forecasted just 450 units a month sales in Japan. For the United States, the figure is slightly more, at 500. Both figures seem to be easily reachable. The fact that the car is doing so well in Japan though is an encouraging development. Subaru’s data reports that sales to buyers under 40 years old represent 60 percent of the total figure.
Buyers are opting for the six-speed manual versus the automatic by a similar margin. The BR-Z goes on sale in the U.S on April 20th. Subaru hopes the car will post similarly impressive numbers when it arrives here.
