It’s Getting Cooler Out… So What’s a Subaru Owner to do?

Go play in the snow of course! Motortrend takes the age-old STi versus EVO comparison to a frozen lake to get their impressions of both.

Billings Woman Doesn’t Let Car Thieves Get Her Down

Reported by the Billings Gazette:

“I went on an amazing run at my favorite place to run, and I came back and noticed my passenger side window was smashed,” said Kelly Naletelich, 23, of Billings.

A Billings woman took things into her own hands after someone broke into her car while she was jogging Zimmerman Trail on Sunday.

Naletelich said her GPS and her purse were stolen. Her purse had her wallet with all of her forms of ID, credit cards and cash.
She was only gone for 35 minutes, and by the time she got back to the car the theft had occurred.
Under an hour, Naletelich said two women were seen on surveillance cameras using her ID and credit card to purchase items in the Billings Heights, racking up charges of almost $700.

“Everyone was telling me don’t go back to Zimmerman, it’s not safe,” Naletelich said. “My mom was worried, and I said, ‘No, that’s my favorite place to jog. I’m not going to let it scare me.’”

To be safe, she plastered signs throughout her car telling the women she believes broke into her car to stay away. The signs attracted the attention of others at the park.
“I got probably at least six comments from people waiting around my car when I got back,” Naletelich said. “One guy said he had his car stolen and they dumped it up at Zimmerman, and he was proud of me for standing up and doing something.”

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A Newly Rendered 2013 WRX Concept Car. What do you think?

From Inside Line:

Last month, we brought you the first photos of the next-generation 2013 Subaru Impreza WRX in disguise. It was caught testing in Europe and even though it was covered from nose to tail in black camouflage, the Subaru Impreza prototype revealed a few details about the styling direction of the redesigned hatchback.

Up front, the test mule looks like it had a few design elements borrowed directly from the Hybrid Tourer Concept shown at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show. The angular lines of the grille and front fascia are certainly different from the current Impreza and they point toward an even more aggressive look for the all-wheel-drive hatchback.

The grille no longer blends cleanly into the hood line, as you can clearly see two notches on each side that sharply define the opening. Separate headlights also appear to be part of the new design along with a new lower airdam and small front quarter windows just ahead of the side mirrors.

The changes out back are less dramatic. New taillights that are a little shorter and wider appear to be the most noticeable change, while the overall shape of the rear window looks much the same as the current WRX hatchback. Hard to tell what's going on with the tailpipes as the test mule had its exhaust tucked tightly under the bodywork. We can only hope that the production WRX gets a proper set of exhaust pipes when it arrives in production form.

When that will be is hard to tell at this point. We don't expect to see this Impreza on sale until 2012 given the recent upgrades made to the 2011 Impreza. With that in mind, look for a possible worldwide debut at the Tokyo auto show in November of next year.

Central High Student Explains Solar Car to President

Central High School Student, Mikayla Nelson explained to President Obama Monday, the solar-electric car that she and her team developed. Check out the video below for more. Congratulation Mikayla! Very well done!

The Subaru Forester S-Edition. Subaru's new full-size brawler?

So far, it's still just flying around in the rumor mill, but Automobilemag.com reports that Subaru may have a new, special-edition Forest on the way. The Subaru Forester S-Edition. This Forester would be directly based around Subaru's WRX. Sporting 260 horsepower, and roughly 256 ft-lbs of Torque, it'd be less powerful that the WRX, but it'd still pack on 36 horses on to the existing Forester XT; not a bad bump. This prototype is being prepared by Subaru Australia, but we're sure hoping they'll let the states in on some of that action.

For the whole story, automobilemag.com has more:

Subaru builds a mean, turbocharged flat-four-cylinder engine for its Impreza WRX -- but what happens when said engin

e is shoehorned into the engine compartment of the Forester crossover? The result is what Subaru dubs the Forester XT S-Edition concept, and depending on your country of residence, it may be destined for a dealer near you.

Prepared by Subaru's Australian wing, the XT S-Edition reportedly previews a

new trim level that is destined for the Aussie market early next year. Power comes courtesy of a WRX-spec turbocharged

2.5-liter boxer four, which cranks out 260 horsepower and 256 pound-feet of torque. That's roughly five horsepower less than a standard WRX, but an increase of roughly 36 ponies compared to the 2.5XT. Power is sent to Subaru's all-wheel-drive system via a five-speed automatic transmission.

According to the manufacturer's release, Subaru has also revised the Forester's suspension and all-wheel-drive systems for a sportier feel, although the precise details have yet to be revealed. Cosmetic revisions, however, are easy to spot. Clear turn signal indicators, STI-sourced 17-inch aluminum wheels, and special emblems are applied to the Forester's exterior, while the interior receives Alcantara-trimmed seating, drilled aluminum sport pedals, and unique gauges.

At this stage, the S-Edition shown here is simply a show car, but much like Cadillac's CTS-V Wagon show vehicle, this model will reach showroom floors. Subaru has only revealed that the Forester XT S-Edition is destined for Australia, but we hope that the model isn't locked to one specific market, as was the case with the JDM Forester STI.

Read the whole story here!

Spotted, the Toyobaru FT-86!

The latest photos of the new Subaru / Toyota coupe project are now in, along with interior pictures!

This is our first look at the inside of Subaru's first production coupe in 10 years.  Check out Subie-Life.net for some additional details.

Is Carbon Fiber soon going to be the norm? Subaru and Toyota are working hard for just that.

Right now the use of carbon fiber is limited to only the most high-end sports cars, and the ridiculously expensive aftermarket community. However, that separation may soon become a finer line. Vehicle manufacturers, Toyota and Subaru are working with Japanese carbon fiber company, Toray, to lower the cost on carbon fiber to the point where it can be used in the mainstream automotive market. Other manufacturers have used carbon fiber in the past to lower the overall weight of their cars, and lower the center of gravity to increase handling capability. GreenCarReports.com has more on this story;

Carbon fiber is seen by many in the auto industry as one of the most effective ways of reducing vehicle weight and thus improving fuel economy and emissions levels, but the relative expense of the material means that it’s still reserved for only a handful of high-end production cars. BMW has effectively used carbon fiber roofs for its M cars to help lower their center of gravity, and Nissan and General Motors have used the composite material to help save weight for the respective GT-R and ZR1 supercars.
For most automakers, mainstream carbon fiber use is still several years away but a number of firms, including Japanese carbon specialist Toray, are working closely with the auto industry to help bring down the cost of the lightweight stuff.

In fact, Toray has already announced a partnership with Daimler to produce carbon fiber parts for the German automaker’s cars and now there are reports coming out of Japan claiming Toray will also supply carbon fiber for Toyota and Subaru.

The Nikkei news daily is reporting that Toray will supply the two Japanese automakers with carbon fiber for car bodies later this year. The first batch of carbon fiber will be used for the hood and roof of the Lexus LFA supercar, which goes into full-scale production in December. Subaru will reportedly sell carbon roofs as an option on its sports cars.

Toray has pioneered a build process for its carbon fiber that reduces is costs by almost half, and this, combined with a rise in steel prices, means the advanced composite material is now looking more and more appealing to automakers around the globe.

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