Subaru Forester And Outback - Among The Most-Shopped Cars In America

According to new data from Kelly Blue Book (KBB), the 2021 Subaru Forester and 2022 Subaru Outback are now among the top-10 most-shopped vehicles in the last quarter of 2021. The Subaru Outback is one of the top five most-shopped cars, and the Forester is the eighth most-shopped vehicle.

The Subaru Outback is the most popular model in the midsize SUV segment, and the Subaru Forester wins the compact SUV category. The data comes from new vehicle shopping and consumer perception findings in the latest Kelley Blue Book Brand Watch Report for Q2 2021.

The report features insights from a consumer perception survey among new-car shoppers that also weaves in shopping behavior to determine how a brand or model stacks up with its segment competitors. KBB uses a dozen key factors to track consumers' buying decisions.

Kelley Blue Book Brand Watch Report Q2 2021: Top 10 Most-Shopped Non-Luxury Vehicles

photo credit: Cox Automotive via Kelly Blue Book

The Forester compact SUV and Outback midsize SUV are Subaru of America's number one and two best-selling models, respectively, in the all-wheel-drive lineup. But because they are so popular, the Camden, N.J. automakers can't keep them on retailers' lots.

KBB says Subaru suffered the most significant loss in shopping consideration of any brand, falling to 13 percent of all shoppers (a drop of three percentage points from Q1). This was due to its extremely tight inventories caused by the global microchip shortage and plant shutdowns.

Vanessa Ton, senior industry intelligence manager for Kelley Blue Book, says, "We see that segment considerations fluctuated quite a bit among shoppers in response to inventory shortages."

The Forester and Outback had the scantest inventories throughout the quarter and fell the most among the Top 10 most-shopped non-luxury vehicles. The report says shopping consideration for Forester declined 26 percent, while Outback was down 22 percent. The Impreza compact sedan and hatchback models also fell but to a lesser degree.

What does it mean for Subaru shoppers?

New Subaru vehicles are arriving this month, but cars "in-transit" from the plants in Japan and Lafayette, Indiana, are selling before even arriving at the dealership. The ones making it to the lot often sell the same day.

The 2021 Subaru Forester and 2022 Subaru Outback are among the top-10 most-shopped vehicles, and it's challenging for customers to find them and other new Subaru models this summer. Subaru has the tightest supply of any automaker in the U.S. at six days, and things may not improve until 2022. Stay tuned.

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Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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