Subaru as a brand has solidly taken hold in Mississippi, with the state’s exclusive Subaru dealership, Paul Moak Subaru, MS Subaru dealer,  closing out 2009 as its best-ever year of sales.  The Paul Moak sales mirrored the national sales of Subaru, with Subaru of America closing out 2009 with highly impressive sales gains despite the economic challenges facing the auto industry and lagging sales the norm for other brands.

That downturn has not been the case with Subaru nationally or locally at Paul Moak, said Jerry Warfield, Paul Moak’s general sales manager for Subaru and Volvo.   “We have sold more Subarus here at Paul Moak in 2009 than in any previous year, and November was our best month ever,” he said of the Jackson dealership. “It’s been a record year for us.”

And nationally, while the overall market has been down 24 per cent, Subaru sales have gone up 15 per cent – the only automaker in the country showing a sales increase in 2009. With models such as the popular Outback, sales actually more than doubled in some months.

Those numbers are impressive, particularly given the economic challenges of 2009, Warfield said. Overcoming the market odds, Subaru is succeeding because it continues to impress drivers and the automotive media, he added.

2010 Subaru Outback

One of many notable accolades has been the recent naming of Subaru’s newly-redesigned 2010 Outback as Motor Trend’s 2010 Sport/Utility of the Year. Making that news doubly impressive is the fact that Subaru captured the same award last year with its 2009 Forester, earning Subaru the distinction as the only brand ever to receive the prestigious award two consecutive years, Warfield pointed out.

Motor Trend editor-in-chief Angus MacKenzie said the ’10 Outback “offers a unique combination of comfort, efficiency, versatility and value. It boasts car-like refinement, drivability and gas mileage on the road, yet is as capable in the rough stuff as all but the most off-road focused sport utilities. Thoughtfully engineered, cleverly detailed and competitively priced, the Subaru Outback is a terrific all-rounder with broad appeal.”

Also capturing drivers’ attention is Subaru’s distinction as the only brand whose every model has attained the 2010 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) “Top Pick” rating for safety. This highest IIHS ranking recognizes the vehicles that do the very best job of protecting people in front, side, rear and rollover crashes. The awarded vehicles also must be equipped with electronic stability control.  Subaru was the only nameplate with a Top Pick winner in all four of its vehicle classes.

The local momentum is stronger than ever for Subaru, Warfield said, adding that Mississippi drivers have increasingly come to recognize and appreciate the overall quality of Subaru’s performance, reliability, value, environmental friendliness, versatility of design and safety.

While the brand, with its all-wheel drive on every model, was in the past sometimes considered most appealing to drivers needing a rugged, outdoorsy vehicle, Mississippi and metro drivers taking a closer look at today’s Subaru find that it offers them solid reliability, performance and much versatility, whatever their lifestyle and personal driving needs, Warfield pointed out.  “We have doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses, plumbers, families, young professionals – just the whole gamut” of Subaru customers who have become devoted to the brand for a variety of reasons, he added.

“With the five different models, Subaru offers a wide range of versatility.” On the solid quality of the brand, he added, “They’re trouble-free and offer lower cost of ownership. Our customers just bring them in for oil changes.”  And, importantly, “they’re also competitively priced,” said Warfield, who will soon mark his 21^st year on the Paul Moak staff.

Starting prices are around $23,995 for the Outback, $19,995 for the Forester, $21,000 for the Legacy, $18,995 for the Impreza and $31,000 for the Tribeca.  Fuel efficiency in the high 20s is the Subaru norm.

Subaru continues to distinguish itself in ways other than just the quality of its product line.  The Japanese-origin brand with manufacturing plants in the United States also has been an industry leader for its emphasis on environmental concerns.  Its U.S. manufacturing facilities are “clean, green plants — zero-landfill production plants,” Warfield pointed out.  Among a growing number of environmental distinctions, Subaru of America’s Indiana plant has been designated a wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.

Adding to Paul Moak Subaru’s distinctions are its consistent 100% customer satisfaction ratings for 2009 – continuing evidence of the well-established Paul Moak emphasis on exceptional customer service to match the quality of its vehicles.  At Paul Moak, Warfield said, the entire staff in all departments not only works to fit the customer with the best product, but to give all customers the kind of personal service and attention they deserve.  That hallmark of service, established in 1946 by Paul Moak Automotive Group founder, the late Paul Moak Sr., and today carried on by his family, is precisely what loyal Paul Moak patrons have come to expect through the years.

Jackson Subaru shoppers can learn more about Paul Moak Subaru and the Subaru model line up online at http://www.paulmoaksubaru.com

Article written by Nancy Y. Stevens courtesy of The Clarion-Ledger

Tags: jackson subaru dealer, mississippi subaru, subaru outback