Subaru sales fell by almost 10 percent last month. The decline affected almost all models, except for the BRZ and Forester. The company also plans to release two new electric vehicles in 2026.
Overall Sales Decline
Subaru sales fell by 3.6 percent last year, and the situation in 2026 is not improving. On the contrary, in January sales fell by 9.1 percent, to 42,157 units.
Models That Showed Growth
The decline was massive, but the BRZ and Forester were exceptions. It is worth noting that BRZ sales grew by 6.3 percent, which is equivalent to only an additional 14 coupes.
Subaru’s Cheapest BRZ Now Costs Nearly $4K More Than A Mustang
Forester showed much better results: a recent redesign helped increase sales by 22.2 percent. The company also expects a boost from the 2026 Forester hybrid version, production of which recently began at the plant in Lafayette, Indiana.
Models with the Biggest Drop
On the other hand, sales of the discontinued Legacy model fell by 52.2 percent. This is not surprising, as production ended last fall, and a search shows that dealers have less than 1,000 units left in stock.
The biggest drop was shown by the Impreza, whose sales collapsed by 52.4 percent. There is no official explanation for such a sharp decline, but the automaker noted that “significant winter storms swept across much of the country in January and led to the temporary closure of many dealerships.”
Outback Issues and Prospects
Outback sales fell by 23.3 percent, to 8,283 units. This is not a good sign for the updated model, which has transformed from a wagon into a crossover with a family-car-worthy design.
Subaru mentioned the possible impact of the model update, but a quick search showed that dealers have thousands of 2026 models in stock or in transit. Some dealers are even offering significant discounts on the crossover.
Despite the sluggish start to the year, Subaru has many new products on the horizon, including the Trailseeker and Uncharted electric vehicles. However, these models are likely to face difficulties due to the cancellation of tax incentives and the fact that Solterra sales fell by 45.6 percent last month, to just 572 units.
Subaru US Sales Statistics for January
The overall picture of Subaru sales indicates serious challenges for the brand in the American market. While the success of the Forester demonstrates that timely updates to a popular model can yield positive results, the overall trend is concerning. The electric vehicle direction, represented by the Solterra, and the fate of key models like the Outback after their concept change look particularly problematic. The future of the brand may largely depend on how successfully the new Trailseeker and Uncharted electric models are received by the market in the absence of government incentives for EV buyers.