Justy switches to Subaru

Skooby gets much-needed entry level model

7 March 2007 21:11 GMT / By Jonathan Goddard

Subaru is to bring back the Justy small car programme. Later this year, Subaru dealers will be selling a new Justy based on the Daihatsu Sirion city car.

Both Daihatsu and Subaru are now part of the Toyota group after being bought from General Motors. Already Subaru’s US factory has started building the Toyota Camry and the Sirion will be rebadged with the Subaru name, giving the brand a much-needed entry-level model, and renamed Justy.

Subaru is also hitting the market with the R1E, an all-electric version of the Japanese market R1 "K-car". This small, three-door car has a range of 80 miles and can be recharged in just 15 minutes.

As a genuine zero-emissions vehicle it would be exempt from the London congestion charge and would address Subaru’s problem of having few low carbon emissions vehicles in its range. It will be more expensive than the Justy but pricing is yet to be confirmed.

The original Subaru-designed Justy was sold in the 1980s, but was replaced by a version of the old Suzuki Swift in the 1990s, when both Japanese brands were linked to GM.

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Car And GPS, Cars, Subaru