"Since we launched the Wilderness line a year and half ago we have sold 75,000 Wilderness products with Outback and Forester in a time where we have been limited by supply chain issues," Subaru spokesperson Dominick Infante told TechCrunch today.
He added,"And to be honest, we are following the lead of our customers. They have been customizing their Crosstreks with lifts and more aggressive tires for years." Now the small Crosstrek gets the same treatment too, with 9.3 inches of ground clearance , larger coil springs and shock absorbers, wider approach and departure angles for off-roading and various traction modes to better deal with snow, mud and dirt. It starts at $31,995, a healthy increase over the base $23,645 Crosstrek.
The opportunity to expand profit margins with a bit of cladding and a lift may be why other automakers are chasing this trend. American consumers have long demanded the trappings of ruggedness and off-road capability from their SUVs, even if many of them were just car-based crossovers that looked tough but couldn't back it up when the road ended.
The focus on SUVs, crossovers and pickup trucks is no surprise. The American car market has drastically shifted away from sedans and small cars over the last decade and automakers have responded in kind. Data from the