Subaru Adds Jobs, Cars to Indiana Factory

In three years, the Subaru Impreza will hail from Indiana.

Subaru imports today's Impreza, which competes with the Honda Civic, Ford Focus and other compact cars, from Japan. Its sole U.S. plant in Lafayette, Ind., builds the larger Legacy sedan, the Outback wagon and a few Tribeca SUVs. It also builds the Camry sedan in a partnership with Toyota, which owns 16.5% of Subaru.

Lafayette has two assembly lines. In 2012, Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries announced a production increase along one line by 2014 to 200,000 cars a year from the current 170,000. The other line, which assembles the Camry, has an annual capacity of 100,000 units. The Associated Press reports Fuji Heavy wants to double that capacity and add the Impreza, investing $400 million and bringing employment to 4,500 from the current 3,600.

What's the Most Affordable Compact Sedan?

Car shoppers want a long list of features in a new car, even if that car is a compact sedan that starts around $16,000. That starting price usually doesn't include what many consider "must-have" features — chief among them an automatic transmission.

We took 11 compact sedans and looked at their prices when equipped with the following features:

• Automatic transmission
• Cruise control
• USB input
• Remote entry
• Tilt/telescoping steering wheel
• Steering-wheel audio controls

It may seem like a simple search, but if you're looking at a new Nissan Sentra, Dodge Dart or Volkswagen Jetta, you'll need to know the specific trim level, options and option packages to ensure you won't regret not having that one missing feature.

We took those as-equipped prices and then added five years of fuel costs to come up with the most affordable compact sedan on the market.

Having recently purchased our long-term Honda Civic that has all of these features in a base model, we thought it had a good shot of scoring well here. But the results were somewhat surprising, especially in terms of what car was No. 1.

Subaru WRX Concept Photo Gallery

It looks radical and hints at what the next-generation Subaru WRX could look like. In traditional World Rally Blue paint, the WRX Concept looks to once again bring turbocharged performance paired with all-wheel drive to paved and unpaved roads.

More 2013 New York Auto Show Coverage

The concept here in New York is a bit shorter and wider, and it has a lower roofline than today's WRX sedan. Familiar WRX appearance bits like a big hood scoop and muscular side fenders with front vents make their way onto this new concept. Other unique features include neon-yellow quad exhaust tips located on either side of a raked rear diffuser, a carbon-fiber roof and 20-inch BBS-brand wheels.

Check out photos of what might be the next Subaru WRX below. Cars.com photos by Evan Sears.

Subaru WRX Concept at the 2013 New York Auto Show

• Looks like: The next-generation WRX will look a little more menacing
• Defining characteristics: All-wheel drive, turbocharged engine, carbon-fiber roof
• Ridiculous features: Fluorescent-yellow exhaust tips
• Chance of being mass-produced: Expect the next WRX to look a lot like this

The Subaru WRX has been a symbol of affordable all-wheel-drive performance for more than a decade, and a new version is on the horizon. The WRX Concept at the New York International Auto Show "hints at the design language of the next-generation WRX," the automaker said in a statement.

More 2013 New York Auto Show Coverage

The WRX Concept is slightly shorter than the current WRX sedan, but it's wider and has a lower roofline. It wears a number of aggressive design cues including a large hood scoop, bulging fenders and quad exhaust outlets that frame a rear diffuser. One-piece BBS wheels wear 20-inch tires, and a lightweight carbon-fiber roof is designed to lower the sedan's center of gravity.

Used BMW X5, Subaru Impreza Prices Fall in March

Late-model used-car prices saw a very slight decline in March, with the average asking price in Cars.com vehicle listings down $31 to $22,619. Prices for 2010 to 2012 used cars are down just $43 from the beginning of the year, or less than 1%.

Among the top 10 cars with the biggest price swings, March was a month of price corrections. After experiencing the biggest price gains in February, the BMW X5 and Subaru Impreza had the largest price declines in March. X5 prices were down 9% to $44,901 while Impreza prices fell 6% to $21,918. The decreases erased all of the prior month's gains for these models — and then some. Perhaps these all-wheel-drive vehicles were priced higher for winter.

Subaru to Debut First Hybrid at 2013 New York Auto Show

Hybrid cars and SUVs have become so commonplace that it can be a surprise when an automaker doesn't have one in its lineup.

Today, Subaru announced it will introduce its first hybrid at the 2013 New York International Auto Show next week. The Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid gets the honor of adding a more fuel-efficient option to the surprisingly popular XV Crosstrek, which is based on the Impreza hatchback.

More information will be revealed next week about the hybrid's powertrain. Subaru also says it will debut a new concept performance car in New York.

Recall Alert: Subaru Legacy, Outback, Impreza and XV Crosstrek

Subaru is recalling 47,419 model-year 2010-13 vehicles due to a problem with the remote start system, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles use an Audiovox remote engine starter accessory and either a continuously variable automatic transmission or an automatic transmission. They include model-year 2010-13 Outbacks and Legacys, 2012-13 Imprezas and 2013 XV Crosstreks.

If the key fob is dropped, it could malfunction and randomly start the engine and continue to start and stop it until the battery in the fob is depleted or the car runs out of gas. According to Subaru, original equipment keyless entry fobs integrated on the vehicle key are not affected.

Subaru will notify owners starting in April, and dealers will replace the affected key fobs for free. Owners can call Subaru at 800-782-2783 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

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December's Fastest- and Slowest-Selling Cars

Automakers won't report December sales results until later today, but we have data on the month's fastest and slowest sellers. The redesigned Toyota Avalon hit dealerships in the first week of December, and it stormed the fastest-selling list, with regular and hybrid versions averaging just eight days apiece on dealer lots. Shoppers moved toward the Ford F-Series Super Duty pickup truck, too. That’s likely a result of an improved construction market; November housing starts hit their second highest rate since mid-2008.

The redesigned Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, which hit dealerships in September, spent its third month among the fastest sellers; the new-for-2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek also marked its third month on the list. Of the 18 fastest-selling cars, 10 were repeat performers, with such regulars as the redesigned Subaru Impreza and new Scion FR-S. The Kia Soul's severe mileage downgrade doesn't seem to have sapped demand, and neither has the popular hatchback's age. It debuted way back in early 2009, but in December it placed among the fastest sellers for the third month in a row.

October's Fastest- and Slowest-Selling Cars

It appears shoppers clamored more aggressively for incoming 2013s last month. Cars for the 2013 model year averaged just 23 days to sell from the day they hit lots while 2012s averaged 121 days. Combined, the group averaged 73 days to turn. That's a wider gap than October 2011 when 2011 and 2012 cars averaged 15 and 93 days to turn, respectively.
 
New or redesigned cars topped the month, with the seventh-generation Nissan Sentra and all-new Subaru XV Crosstrek taking just five days each to move. The redesigned Ford Fusion and Honda Accord plus the all-new Ford C-Max Hybrid made this month's movers, as well.
 
We focused on just 2013 models for October since automakers had a vast majority of 2013 models on sale. October did have one notable redesign in the Loser column: the Chevrolet Malibu Eco, which averaged 92 days on dealer lots. The regular Malibu, meanwhile, took 32 days to sell. That’s better but still below average for 2013s. Is the new Malibu getting lost in the slew of redesigned family cars? Sales fell 6% in October, putting the Malibu behind the Fusion and well in back of the redesigned Accord, Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima.

Here are October's fastest- and slowest-selling cars:

July's Fastest and Slowest Selling Cars

Who says old cars won’t sell? July's fastest sellers include newbies like the redesigned Nissan Altima and two Hyundai Elantra additions — the coupe and GT hatchback — but a number of cars that have been on the market a year or more are flying off lots. The year-old Volkswagen Passat, our Best of 2012 car, averages just five days to sell. The Kia Soul, which went on sale way back in spring 2009, takes just a week to sell. The Hyundai Tucson, Kia Optima and Subaru Outback are also among July's fastest sellers, and all of them are at least 2 years old.

On the newer side, the Dodge Dart and Scion FR-S are off to a fast start. The Scion marks its second month in a row among the fastest sellers. Other repeat performers include the Cadillac XTS and Ford Escape (second month each), Hyundai's Veloster and Accent hatchbacks (third month), Soul (fourth month) and Toyota Prius c (fifth month). The Subaru Impreza has the longest tenure here, having been among the fastest monthly sellers since just after it hit dealerships in November 2011. July marks the Impreza's eighth consecutive month.