Justification for discontinuing the Baja.

ebbie97 · Post by **ebbie97** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 11:18 am

This morning there was an article in USAToday about so called halo cars: http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/200 ... usat_x.htm
While I was reading this, I started thinking about the Baja, and how it could very well have been a halo car.

A halo car is intended to draw buyers into the showroom, create a buzz. Some cars actually do, like the new Beetle, and some fail, like the SSR from Chevy. According to the design chief at Ford:"It has to have meaning, and it has to be beyond cool, timeless in its appeal." Is he talking about the Baja?

Other reasons why I think the Baja could have been a halo car:
* "Halos have good looks capable of stopping traffic."
I actually got pulled over by a trooper inquiring about my car.

* "Almost all the recent halo cars have been updated versions of classics."
Remember the Brat?

* "Some of the most talked about halo cars are hardly ever seen. They're produced in limited numbers..., leading to shortages"
We all have a hard time finding other Bajas around in our areas.
Unless you were able to drive your Baja immediately of the lot, there was a significant wait before I got mine.

* "To stand out, halos need edgy, even polarizing looks. Some love it, others hate it."
We have all seen the reviews and write-ups about the Baja being both stunning and ugly.

In short: rather than blaming SOA for their limited advertising, I like to think that the Baja was created for a halo effect. And now that it turns out that it wasn't quite working as such, the model is discontinued.
-EB

Spacinjasman · Post by **Spacinjasman** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 8:32 am

I went down to a local park yesterday morning, and when I pulled into the parking lot the Park Ranger was just staring at me hard. I got out of the Baja kind of wondering why he was staring and he walked up to me and exclaimed "Well I've never seen a Subaru like that before! What a neat little car!" I started talking with him and spent the next ten minutes showing off my Baja to him. He couldn't believe they had been in production since '03 since he claimed to have never seen one before. He was also surprised to hear that Subaru was discontinuing the Baja.
I don't see a whole lot of Baja's around, however my nieghbors do have an '03 Baja. I liked thiers so much I had to buy my own (with Turbo)!

NOTBRAT · Post by **NOTBRAT** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:31 am

Good thoughts on the Baja. My feeling is that the WRX is Subaru's halo car. I also think the Baja, like the Brat before it, was probably a little bit ahead of it's time. Too bad, I would like to have seen where the design could have gone in a second generation.

Why doesn't Subaru build a convertible? I asked this question during a tour of the Subaru factory in Indiana. Apparently it is felt that convertibles are so unsafe that it would never be considered.

But, wouldn't that be a great halo car? Say an STI convertible, for example?

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 11:19 am

wow- Completly new here- I pick up my used 03 sport tonight- I have wanted this truck since the Brat (yes I loved those to- but never could get one) Ever since I saw one of these I have wanted one- I finially found a used 03 with the 5 speed in my price range- As for the Halo effect- well I think you hit the nail on the head- Subaru has always been way ahead of their time- and the Baja is a fitting tribute to that- Locally Subs command a lot of attention (Western NY) beacause of AWD- But I know nationally their sales have been off- I think they are trying to shake things up with some short run radical cars- just to draw people back to the dealers- I know the Baja is gone- But so was the Brat- Good design always wins!