The Hot Subaru Finish That No One Could Have Imagined

I cover Subaru of America's (SOA) monthly sales and year-end results. SOA finished 2023 with fireworks worthy of the N.Y. Times Square show. I may be exaggerating a little. But the Camden, N.J. automaker pulled off a pretty impressive feat. SOA finished 2023 with 632,086 vehicle sales, a 13.6 percent increase compared with calendar year 2022. 

In contrast with last year, Subaru of America finished 2022 down in sales by 4.7 percent. When Subaru started 2023, the Subaru Forester compact SUV dropped 25.3 percent, and the newly upgraded Subaru Outback midsize SUV dropped 1.1 percent. 

Fast forward to December 2023. The Camden, N.J. automaker reports 17 consecutive months of increased sales, with 57,764 vehicles sold for December 2023, a 1.8 percent increase compared with December 2022 (56,760). Subaru ended the calendar year 2023 with 632,086 vehicle sales.

"Subaru and our retailers worked hard in 2023 to exceed customer expectations and achieve a full year of consecutive sales increases," said Jeff Walters, President and Chief Operating Officer of Subaru of America. 

The Subaru Outback Is Best In Versatility, Off-Road Ability Says New Global Award @SubaruReport @torquenewsauto photo @TucsonSubaru#subaru #outback #subaruoutback #outbackwildernesshttps://t.co/HO23MJaBU5
— Denis Flierl (@DenisFlierl) January 3, 2024

Subaru of America had four models that were up in percentage of increase in December compared with the same period in 2022. The Crosstrek and Forester are the two hot models again for SOA. All Subaru models were up to finish the year except for one underperforming model. 

Here are all Subaru models by the numbers

The all-new Subaru Crosstrek is on fire. It was the best-ever December and the best year for the new Subaru Crosstrek. It's a very impressive feat.

As Subaru of America retailers get the the all-new 2024 Crosstrek, sales of the subcompact SUV are up in December, and Crosstrek is the best seller in the lineup. Crosstrek sales were up 17.1 percent, with 15,799 models delivered to customers in December compared with 13,491 in December 2022. 

The Crosstrek is now up 2.6 percent to finish the year. Crosstrek finished 2023 second in the lineup behind Outback, with 159,193 models sold in 2023. Crosstrek completed 2023 with just 2,621 model sales behind the Outback (161,814). 

More impressive is that Crosstrek's 159,193 total 2023 sales achieved the best year ever, up 3 percent from 2022 when it was SOA's top-selling model. 

The Subaru Forester was the second-best model in December and was the top seller for five consecutive months until the hot Crosstrek barely slid by. 

Forester was the second-best performer by volume in December, with 15,653 model sales compared with 13,526 sales in December 2022, a 15.7 percent increase. Forester finished 2023 up 33.7 percent, the second highest of any Subaru SUV. Forester has 152,566 models sold in 2023, remaining in third place to finish the year.

Outback is in third place again.

The 2024 Subaru Outback midsize SUV is the third-place performer in the lineup again, decreasing 3.3 percent in December, with 14,304 models sold compared with 14,797 in December 2022. Outback was up 9.9 percent to finish 2023. Outback is the overall leader in 2023, with 161,814 midsize SUVs delivered to customers.

The Ascent is on the descent.

The 2023 Subaru Ascent is the fourth best-selling SUV in the lineup, with 4,996 sales of the 3-Row SUVs in December. The Ascent sales dropped 28.4 percent compared with the 6,980 models sold in December 2022. The Ascent is down 4.9 percent to finish the year with 60,543 models delivered to families. The Ascent is the only model in the lineup to finish down for the year. 

The new Impreza is gaining ground.

The Subaru Impreza compact hatchback slightly increased (1.1%) in December. Impreza is the fifth best-selling model as SOA delivered 2,523 compact hatch models to customers in December compared with 2,495 sales in December 2022. Impreza is now up 12.6 percent to finish the year with 34,719 compact models sold in 2023.

2024 Subaru Crosstrek Vs. 2024 Subaru Impreza, And The Winner Is... @SubaruReport @torquenewsauto#subaru #crosstrek #impreza #subarucrosstrek #subaruimprezahttps://t.co/POkGWoYeOh
— Denis Flierl (@DenisFlierl) December 29, 2023

The Legacy sedan takes another dive.

The 2024 Subaru Legacy midsize sedan was down in December again. Legacy is the sixth best-selling model. The Legacy was down 11.6 percent in December, with 1,878 models delivered to customers compared with 2,125 sales in December 2022. Despite the downturn, the Legacy is up 12.9 percent to finish 2023, with 25,510 sedans sold to customers in 2023. 

The WRX drops the most of any model in December. 

The 2023 Subaru WRX sales dropped 37.1 percent in December, with 1,382 performance models delivered to customers compared with 2,196 sales in December 2022. It's not all bad news. The WRX is up 32.3 percent to finish 2023. SOA sold 24,681 sport-tuned performance models this year.

Solterra EV is catching on.

The Solterra EV is catching on with Subaru customers. SOA delivered 956 compact electric SUVs to EV customers in December compared with 825 in December 2022. SOA sold 8,872 models to EV customers in 2023. That's impressive, as the EV was expected to have about 6,000 model sales in its first year. 

The BRZ pulls up in last place.

The 2023 BRZ sports car is still the bottom dweller in SOA's lineup, with 273 sport coupe sales in December, compared with 325 models delivered in December 2022. BRZ dropped 16.0 percent in December but still has a 25.2 percent increase for the year, with 4,188 sport coupes delivered to customers in 2023.

The hot new Crosstrek almost pulled off its second straight year as the top model in the lineup. The Outback is now the model to beat in 2024. Stay tuned as the all-new, remodeled, next-generation 2025 Forester arrives this spring. 

Thanks for reading, everyone. I hope you enjoyed the 2023 year-end Subaru report. See you tomorrow for my latest Subaru Report.

For additional articles related to new Subaru models, here are a few of my top stories you may enjoy. 

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I am Denis Flierl, a 12-year Torque News senior writer with 20+ years of Subaru and automotive journalism experience. I enjoy bringing you, the Subaru fans and customers, the most up-to-date Subaru news, reviews, and new model information. You'll find the latest Subaru stories on the Subaru page. Follow me on my The Dirty Subaru website, Dirty Subaru blog, SubaruReport, All Subaru, WRXSTI, @DenisFlierl, Facebook, and Instagram.

I’ve got you covered! - I cover all Subaru all the time - It’s called the “Subaru Report.” Check back daily for my expert Subaru analysis!

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photo credit: Subaru USA