Sales numbers revisited

[dcarrb]

The other day I read that Volkswagen sold 3176 Passats (assembled in a new plant near Chattanooga) in September, and was reminded anew just how few SVXs Subaru managed to move.

I don't recall a single ad of any description to the SVX. Had I not come across an article about it's impending introduction in some motoring magazine in a doctor's waiting room, I wouldn't have known of the car's existence until I started searching Web sites for used Subarus 10+ years later. Guess they weren't marketing to me, but that was a mistake. My then-wife and I, already Subaru owners, had test-driven an XT-6 and passed on it due to the price, but we probably would have eventually revisited the showroom with more to spend had we stayed together.

Surely Subaru never expected to sell the SVX in Passat numbers, but when one considers how few actually made it to the road, it's a wonder there are ANY parts left on the shelf. I got a "new" heater mix door actuator the other day. The cellophane tape loosely clinging to the box was yellowed and crinkly, and all the adhesive had been absorbed into the cardboard, as happens with boxes of Christmas ornaments stored in the attic. This thing is probably every bit as old as my cars.

dcb

[92snowmachine]

i tried to explain the rarity to a girl who hit me and the whole concept was lost. i don't think anyone realizes how few svx there are until they see the numbers of another vehicle. for example one of my other cars is a 79 k5 blazer. they sold (actually sold not just built) over 90 thousand of the exact same car that year alone. it's nice when i can buy loaded calipers for $17 but in my neighborhood there is at least one on every block.

i personally wanted an svx ever since my brother (subaru fanatic) showed me the articles in his car magazines in 92. then every time i bought a new car he would send me links and names to people selling an svx. finally when my wife wanted an awd car i asked "have you ever seen an svx?". she had not. i got on craigslist and found one i liked to show her. several hours later as i was following her home with the new car i fell in love with it all over again. i think if they had sold in huge numbers i would still be just as satisfied to own an svx it would just be a lot easier and cheaper.

[1986nate]

There are 2 main things to realize. Subaru DID expect it to sell as apparent by all the 92 MY produced until they realized they weren't selling and slowed production.
The other thing is, there advertising campaign was all marketed towards the performance and top speed of the car at a time when the US DOT (or whatever it's called) was purely focused on safety so the ad campaign was basically thrown out the window by the US.

[Conn SVX]

I laugh when I hear Limited Production of the Corvette pace car or hopped up Camero only 9,000 will be made this year. Only 16,000 Mustang convertibles etc. and that is only the model . Like saying only 2,000 LSi or L not the whole SVX line .

[dcarrb]

Yeah, I've had that conversation with folks who, speaking in terms of rarity, compare an SVX to a Super-Duper Special Limited Edition NASCAR Dale Earnhardt Monte Carlo SS-Whatever. (Pardon me for a moment as I pause to hold three fingers aloft.)

There's a big difference between a distinctive platform and a gazillion-unit model with fancy paint and badges.

dcb