Subaru 2.5 Liter Turbo Engine Named International Engine of the Year

CHERRY HILL, N.J., May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Subaru's 2.5-liter Boxer turbo engine has won the 2008 International Engine of the Year award in the 2.0-liter to 2.5-liter category.

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"This is a testament to the unique design qualities of our Boxer engine," said Tim Mahoney, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Subaru of America, Inc. "Subaru has been producing Boxer engines for over 40 years and we are delighted to once again be recognized by the International Engine of the Year Awards committee."

Juror, Christophe Congrega of L'Automobile Magazine, stated that the Subaru engine is: "A 2.5-liter Boxer full of torque and power." This statement is backed up by the fact that Subaru's Boxer engine beat BMW's 2.5-liter 6 cylinder engine twice in its category for the International Engine of the Year Award in the last three years.

The 65 judges on the International Engine of the Year Awards 2008 committee were impressed with the Subaru Boxer engine's power in the 4 cylinder 305 hp Subaru Impreza WRX STI, but were equally impressed with the performance of the 2.5-liter turbo in the 224 hp Subaru Forester. The engine is also found in the 224 hp Subaru WRX and in naturally aspirated form in the 170 hp 2.5i Subaru Impreza and Subaru Forester. The jury noted that aside from being a performance powerhouse, the Subaru Boxer engine offers impressive fuel economy.

As judge Nikos Kounitis stated, "This powerful, fun-to-drive engine justifies Subaru's persistence in Boxer engines."

The Subaru Boxer engine is produced in several forms for world markets including 4 cylinder engines in 1.5-liter, 2.0-liter, 2.5-liter capacity and also 6 cylinder 3.0-liter and 3.6-liter versions. Additionally, the Company recently introduced the world's first Boxer diesel engine for sale in Europe.

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of nearly 600 dealers across the United States. Subaru makes the best-selling All-Wheel Drive car sold in America based on R.L. Polk & Co. new vehicle retail registration statistics calendar year-end 2005. For additional information visit http://www.subaru.com.

    Contacts:     Michael McHale
                  Subaru of America, Inc.
                  (856) 488-3326
                  mmchale@subaru.com

                  Heather Ward
                  Subaru of America, Inc.
                  (856) 488-5093
                  hward@subaru.com