Founded in 1953 as Fuji Heavy Industries—rooted in WWII aircraft maker Nakajima—Subaru launched its first car in 1954, the Subaru 1500, and later the iconic 360 minicompact in 1958 . Named after the Pleiades (Subaru in Japanese), its logo shows six stars representing the merged companies . Known for boxer engines and Symmetrical AWD since 1972, Subaru is beloved for safety, reliability, rally pedigree, and adventure-ready vehicles.