We’re well versed on the — ahem, ascent — of Subaru, from a quirky Japanese brand struggling 25 years ago to keep up with Toyota and Honda to what it has become: the object of affection for fiercely loyal customers who love their dogs, love the northeast and love to drive in the snow with symmetrical all-wheel drive. And they love boxer engines — and the Wilderness.
Subaru began the 21st century selling 172,000 vehicles in the U.S. — still a marginal player. But in 2010, when Subaru sold 263,000 vehicles, the brand would begin a remarkable run of year-over-year growth that cracked the 700,000-unit threshold in 2019, outpacing growth for every major automaker not named Tesla.
Subaru Likely To Sell Fewer Vehicles This Year Than Last
Since then, Subaru’s annual sales have flattened out, dipping for a few years (looking at you, COVID) before climbing back up to 668,000 vehicles in 2024. The trend line for 2025 suggests Subaru will not outsell 2024: Through November, the brand sold 586,154 vehicles in the U.S., down 3.3 percent from last year.
Comparing just the month of November 2025 to November 2024, Subaru sales fell 9.7 percent. That’s worse than the estimate from Ford that industry sales were down 7 percent in November in the U.S.
Ascent Isn’t Reaching Its Peak
Subaru sells nine vehicles in the U.S., and every one of them lost sales compared to November 2024. The biggest loser was the rally-bred WRX sedan, with year-to-date sales down a whopping 42 percent to 9,715 units relative to last November. The WRX was redesigned a mere three years ago, but the discontinued base model hasn’t helped move the metal. Are these STI concepts a step toward recovery?
The next big drop in the portfolio came from the Ascent three-row large crossover, which has never achieved the kind of sales volume as Subaru’s most popular models, the Crosstrek and Forester. Ascent was down 23.7 percent through November to 39,378 units, putting it well behind the Chevy Traverse, Honda Pilot, Hyundai Palisade, and Kia Telluride.
All-New 2026 Outback Arriving Now
Other Subarus on the slide year-to-date were the BRZ (-11.8 percent to 2,653 units), Solterra (-9.4 percent to 10,217), Impreza (-7.5 percent to 26,143) and Outback (-7.1 percent to 142,943).
An all-new 2026 Outback is arriving now in showrooms, which likely explains the sales dip as retailers transition from 2025 to 2026 models. Outback is a crucial model for Subaru, having literally grown up (from its compact Impreza wagon roots) while the brand did the same over the past 25 years.
Crosstrek Is Up While Forester Is Flat
Expect the new Outback to remain among the brand’s top three sellers, alongside the Crosstrek and Forester. The Crosstrek has become Subaru’s best-selling model, and it’s only two years old. In 2024, the Crosstrek trailed only the Chevy Trax in the fiercely competitive small crossover segment.
This year through November, the Crosstrek was up 6.3 percent to 175,151 deliveries in the U.S., so it’s on pace to outrun its 2024 tally. Likewise, the sixth-generation 2025 Forester (and hybrid variant) was all-new a year ago, and its year-to-date tally was flat relative to last November, at 159,677 units.
Although the Forester is popular in the U.S., it’s in a much tougher segment than Crosstrek, running well behind the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Chevy Equinox in the jam-packed midsize crossover segment.
This Sedan Leaves A Lasting Legacy
Oddly enough, Subaru’s biggest gainer through November is a model that is going away after 35 years in the market: the Legacy sedan. Production ended two months ago at Subaru’s plant in Lafayette, Indiana, so that means Legacy inventory is thinning out and dealers might be motivated to bargain.
Or it could be that Subaru loyalists are storming showrooms to get one of the final Legacy sedans. Sales through November were up 13.2 percent to 20,277 units. The Legacy is not alone: Multiple automakers have axed their sedans as consumers migrate toward crossovers and SUVs.
Source: Subaru
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