Subaru transitioning into Tesla?...

[CaminoRacer]

I didn't see anything in that Jalopnik article that really amounts to a "crisis".  They had a single recall and some employees were working a ton of overtime?  They're running full out at peak capacity, tons of overtime is expected.  The recall isn't necessarily correlated to running at peak capacity though.

"compelled thousands of workers to forgo millions of dollars in unpaid wages by working overtime off the clock" isn't cool

[MrH]

"compelled thousands of workers to forgo millions of dollars in unpaid wages by working overtime off the clock" isn't cool

Naw, but that's all happening in Japan at HQ.  It's just weird to say this stuff is causing a quality crisis at the plant in the US.

[12,000 RPM]

Unpaid overtime, damage to the brand at home, management shakeups?

"Now imagine... it's Tesla"

Not arguing for or against the use of the word "crisis" but it's clear Subaru is having problems meeting demand. A nice problem to have but a problem nonetheless.

And there are quality issues creeping up here. Subaru paint is garbage for example

[BimmerM3]

I didn't see anything in that Jalopnik article that really amounts to a "crisis".  They had a single recall and some employees were working a ton of overtime?  They're running full out at peak capacity, tons of overtime is expected.  The recall isn't necessarily correlated to running at peak capacity though.

Unpaid overtime. I don't know if that's common in Japan or not.

But also it's Jalopnik. Exaggeration is par for the course.

[SJ_GTI]

I'll have to ask my brother how things are where he works (its their NA HQ, not a manufacturing plant). It could just be that Japan is feel the crunch (that is where the Crosstrek is made currently).

[veeman]

Even the Camry took a hit on quality a few years back when Toyota forced increased output bypassing normal checks.  At least that's what I remember reading.  If only Ford could have Subaru's current problems. 

Subaru's bread and butter (outside of the WRX/STi and BRZ) is slow and noisy, go anywhere on road any season, good interior space, good price. They're touting themselves as a real "safe" brand with the "eyesight" stuff being standard on even the most base models in the future. This negates them from offering a manual because a manual transmission is not compatible with eyesight.  So I expect the Crosstrek next time around won't offer a manual as the take rate for it is pretty low anyways. 

[SJ_GTI]

Even the Camry took a hit on quality a few years back when Toyota forced increased output bypassing normal checks.  At least that's what I remember reading.  If only Ford could have Subaru's current problems. 

Subaru's bread and butter (outside of the WRX/STi and BRZ) is slow and noisy, go anywhere on road any season, good interior space, good price. They're touting themselves as a real "safe" brand with the "eyesight" stuff being standard on even the most base models in the future. This negates them from offering a manual because a manual transmission is not compatible with eyesight.  So I expect the Crosstrek next time around won't offer a manual as the take rate for it is pretty low anyways.

Wait, why isn't eyesight compatible with a manual? And if it isn't compatible, wouldn't it make more sense to just make it compatible?

My car is a manual and it has all the same driver aids that the automatic has. Lane keep assist, auto cruise control (including speeding up and slowing down), auto braking (when it sees an obstacle). The only difference between my car and the auto is that if I still have to change the gears myself.

[FoMoJo]

Wait, why isn't eyesight compatible with a manual? And if it isn't compatible, wouldn't it make more sense to just make it compatible?

My car is a manual and it has all the same driver aids that the automatic has. Lane keep assist, auto cruise control (including speeding up and slowing down), auto braking (when it sees an obstacle). The only difference between my car and the auto is that if I still have to change the gears myself.

When it does the auto braking, do you have to push in the clutch?

[Laconian]

When it does the auto braking, do you have to push in the clutch?

Auto stop just stalls the engine

[BimmerM3]

auto cruise control (including speeding up and slowing down)

To FoMoCo's point about the clutch, is it full stop/restart cruise control though?

Subaru also doesn't include X-Mode on the manual models.

[12,000 RPM]

There are European cars with auto start stop + manual transmissions. It's possible, but Americans are too stupid and litigious

[Laconian]

It's possible, but Americans are too stupid

Gotta pander to the dumbest 10%

[Xer0]

Is it really about being too stupid or do American's just generally not want that stuff?  I'll tell ya, personally, keep that shit as far away from me as possible and I'm glad that choosing to get a manual most of the time means I won't get most of it or have to worry.

[r0tor]

You raise a good point r0tor but Impreza sales have climbed a bit over the same period

http://carsalesbase.com/us-car-sales-data/subaru/subaru-impreza/

Subaru has been killing it.... at significant cost

Chances are most Crosstrek buyers would still be imprezza (or at least forester) owners if it didn't exist... I'm not sure how you actually convince yourself to buy one over the other

[SJ_GTI]

To FoMoCo's point about the clutch, is it full stop/restart cruise control though?

Subaru also doesn't include X-Mode on the manual models.

I'm not sure what you guys are asking.

Its a normal manual transmission. Anything to do with engaging or disengaging the clutch or gears is manual.

[FoMoJo]

I'm not sure what you guys are asking.

Its a normal manual transmission. Anything to do with engaging or disengaging the clutch or gears is manual.

I was asking about automatic braking.  Does it bring the car to a full stop and, in doing so, do you have to manually disengage the clutch?

[SJ_GTI]

I was asking about automatic braking.  Does it bring the car to a full stop and, in doing so, do you have to manually disengage the clutch?

Yes it will stop the car, and no, as mentioned, it is a manual transmission. If it could disengage the clutch on its own it wouldn't be a manual. 

VW does make a version with an automated clutch, but it is generally referred to as an automatic.

[BimmerM3]

Chances are most Crosstrek buyers would still be imprezza (or at least forester) owners if it didn't exist...

I dunno - Forester sales dramatically increased the first full year of Crosstrek sales, and as previously noted, Impreza sales have also been stable/slightly increasing in the same time span.

I think it's more that Subaru gave their cars much nicer interiors. My dad had a third gen (05-09) Outback for a few years when he first moved out to CO. It was not a particularly nice vehicle to be in.

Forester:
2018   - 171.613
2017   - 177.563
2016   - 178.593
2015   - 175.192
2014   - 159.953
2013   - 123.592 (Fourth gen introduced)
2012   - 76.347
2011   - 76.196
2010   - 85.080
2009   - 77.781
2008   - 60.748 (Third gen introduced)
2007   - 44.530
2006   - 51.258

Impreza:
2018   - 76.400
2017   - 86.043 (Fifth gen introduced)
2016   - 55.238
2015   - 66.785
2014   - 57.996
2013   - 58.856
2012   - 68.175 (Fourth gen introduced)
2011   - 27.391
2010 - 36.072

I'm not sure how you actually convince yourself to buy one over the other

Ground clearance? I'd have thought that would be obvious... It's a big deal for outdoorsy people. I don't think the Impreza has X-Mode either. Not a big deal to me, but I don't know if most people would care.

[MrH]

Yes it will stop the car, and no, as mentioned, it is a manual transmission. If it could disengage the clutch on its own it wouldn't be a manual. 

VW does make a version with an automated clutch, but it is generally referred to as an automatic.

Every time you hit the clutch, it'll disengage though right? And it'll brake until it stalls the car ?

[BimmerM3]

I'm not sure what you guys are asking.

Its a normal manual transmission. Anything to do with engaging or disengaging the clutch or gears is manual.

Most of the auto cruise controls these days can bring the car to a full stop and restart it while in stop-and-go traffic. Which is basically the only automated driving feature that I would want, so if I can't have that, I don't really care if I don't get the rest of EyeSight.

But to your point, I don't know why they don't just remove that feature and make an "EyeSight Light" available on manual cars.

[SJ_GTI]

Every time you hit the clutch, it'll disengage though right? And it'll brake until it stalls the car ?

It depends on what you mean by disengage. It will stop applying the throttle while the clutch it disengaged, but when the clutch is reengaged it will automatically reapply the throttle.

I have only had the emergency braking activate itself a couple times...it slams the brakes...i presume the car would stall if i didn't disengage the clutch but i wasn't interested in finding out right at that moment.

[BimmerM3]

Every time you hit the clutch, it'll disengage though right? And it'll brake until it stalls the car ?

I know this isn't SJ's car, but I found an article about the feature in manual Mustangs, and it gives you an audible warning and it turns off the cruise control before it would stall. Not sure what it would do in an emergency braking situation (or if the Mustang even has that equipped).

https://www.autotrader.com/car-news/heres-how-adaptive-cruise-control-works-manual-for-281474979852771

[BimmerM3]

It depends on what you mean by disengage. It will stop applying the throttle while the clutch it disengaged, but when the clutch is reengaged it will automatically reapply the throttle.

I have only had the emergency braking activate itself a couple times...it slams the brakes...i presume the car would stall if i didn't disengage the clutch but i wasn't interested in finding out right at that moment.

Oh, most cars (including the Mustang I mentioned above) turn off the cruise control as soon as you hit the clutch. At least with traditional cruise control. I don't know how a manual Civic, for example, would react.

[SJ_GTI]

Most of the auto cruise controls these days can bring the car to a full stop and restart it while in stop-and-go traffic. Which is basically the only automated driving feature that I would want, so if I can't have that, I don't really care if I don't get the rest of EyeSight.

But to your point, I don't know why they don't just remove that feature and make an "EyeSight Light" available on manual cars.

In that case no, the cannot simultaneously be an automatic and manual.

Obviously fully automated driving requires an automated transmission. But there is no functional reason they can't automate everything but the transmission fkr those folks that still like to have a manual transmission.

[BimmerM3]

In that case no, the cannot simultaneously be an automatic and manual.

Obviously fully automated driving requires an automated transmission. But there is no functional reason they can't automate everything but the transmission fkr those folks that still like to have a manual transmission.

I mean, presumably if they really wanted to, they could create a mechanism that only controls the clutch with cruise control on or in emergency braking situations. But I can't imagine it'd be worth the cost.

[FoMoJo]

I mean, presumably if they really wanted to, they could create a mechanism that only controls the clutch with cruise control on or in emergency braking situations. But I can't imagine it'd be worth the cost.

Electric clutch?

[Laconian]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Magnetic

[Soup DeVille]

Unpaid overtime. I don't know if that's common in Japan or not.

But also it's Jalopnik. Exaggeration is par for the course.

It is common for hourly workers in Japan to stay late, without pay, to fix any mistakes they made or to make up the time that the mistake took to fix. 

[Soup DeVille]

Oh, most cars (including the Mustang I mentioned above) turn off the cruise control as soon as you hit the clutch. At least with traditional cruise control. I don't know how a manual Civic, for example, would react.

The same way.

[veeman]

The Subaru Eyesight is not manual transmission friendly:

https://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/subaru-will-probably-kill-off-its-manual-transmission-because-eyesight-isn-t-compatible-ar180284.html