In Japan as U.S. debut nears Subaru BRZ commands brisk sales

TOKYO -- Subaru’s BRZ sporty coupe, scheduled to go on sale in the United States April 20, is off to a brisk start in Japan, selling at a monthly rate quadruple initial forecasts.
Since the car’s Feb. 3 debut, Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. has sold 3,551 of the rear-wheel-drive BRZs, the company said in a statement today.
Subaru had forecast monthly sales of only 450 units in Japan. But it is not uncommon for newly released models in Japan to generate explosive orders at first before tapering off.
The sporty 2.0-liter, four-cylinder BRZ, which starts at 2.06 million yen ($24,830) in Japan for a stripped-down version, is the platform-sharing twin of Toyota’s Scion FR-S.
The U.S. monthly sales goal for the BRZ is 500.
Initial sales data suggest the BRZ is tapping a coveted younger customer base attracted to the car’s promise of sportier driving.
So far, nearly 60 percent of BRZ customers are under 40 years of age -- and two-thirds are picking the six-speed manual over the automatic transmission. The top-selling color is WR blue mica, in a nod to the signature hue of Subaru’s WRX performance line.Automobile News