Subaru of America is riding a 75-month streak of year-over-year sales gains. And it has achieved it without a product in a critical vehicle segment — three-row crossovers.
That hole in the portfolio will get plugged this year with the launch of the 2019 Ascent.
Wally Sommer, chairman of the Subaru National Retailer Advisory Board and president of Sommer's Subaru in Mequon, Wis., said retailers began taking Ascent orders in mid-February and will start receiving vehicles in June.
"Subaru is hearing about demand from retailers that is very strong and is looking forward to filling several months of production with sold orders," Sommer told Automotive News.
The Ascent starts at $32,970 for the base model. The top Touring trim starts at $45,670. Both prices include shipping. It is available in seven- or eight-seat layouts, depending on the trim.
A three-row crossover has been at the top of Subaru retailers' and customers' wish lists for years as owners outgrew the brand's flagship, the Outback.
Subaru previously offered a three-row crossover, the Tribeca, until production ended in January 2014. But even when the Tribeca was available, it was a low-volume vehicle with just 76,774 sales in the nameplate's 10 years.
Subaru expects the Ascent to provide significant retail volume. Sommer has noticed an interest in the vehicle by non-Subaru owners as well. He believes it will be an important conquest vehicle for the brand.
"More non-Subaru owners are asking about it, not in the showrooms, but asking about it in personal conversations with members of our staff," he said.
"We all have people interested from outside our owner base.
"I absolutely think that we'll be conquesting customers with the Ascent," Sommer said. "Subaru's research shows that. Right now Subaru has about a 60 percent conquest rate, and the Ascent will certainly add to that, just because of the interest that's out there before the vehicle is even launched."
Subaru Corp. believes the U.S. company will buck the shrinking overall declining market and deliver 5 percent sales growth in 2018. If so, it would set still another yearly record for the brand, with about 680,000 sales.
Sommer said, "The Ascent will be critical to increased sales and market share growth going forward."
