Subaru got the jump on Volkswagen in the race for quirky auto advertising.
Volkswagen deserves credit for its clever advertising strategy, “It’s ugly, but it gets you there,” launched in 1969. This memorable campaign effectively cut through the advertising noise, positioning Volkswagen as a manufacturer of functional and dependable vehicles with a touch of counter-cultural charm.
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1968 Subaru 360
Created by DDB, the “It’s ugly” advertisements were part of a series featuring self-deprecating humor that garnered numerous awards for the agency and fostered a lasting collaboration with Volkswagen.
However, while Volkswagen’s campaign showcased its innovative flair, it was not the first to depict a car as unattractive in advertising. That distinction belongs to Subaru.
History
Subaru OF America got ahead of Volkswagen’s infamous campaign by nearly a year, creating an early advertisement for three vehicles that were imported to the U.S.: a compact van, a small pickup truck, and a little car known as the 360. The marketing team chose to highlight the less-than-flattering design of the 360.
The tagline “Cheap and ugly does it!” featured prominently at the top of the advertisement, and, to be fair, one can agree that the 360 had a rather awkward appearance.
In addition to its awkward looks, the 360 was also criticized for its safety. Despite its attractive starting price of under $1,300, Consumer Reports deemed it “not acceptable” for various reasons.
Subaru 360
Weighing in at under 1,000 pounds—compared to a 2024 Subaru Impreza that starts at roughly 3,200 pounds—the 360 was exempt from the standard safety regulations that typically apply to vehicles on the road during that era. While the Volkswagen Beetle was known for being relatively slow, managing 75 mph at its best, the 360, equipped with a 423-cc two-stroke two-cylinder engine, struggled to achieve speeds between 51 and 59 mph, depending on the source of the information.
Malcolm Bricklin
For those unfamiliar, automotive pioneer Malcolm Bricklin played a crucial role in introducing Subaru to the U.S. market. This is the same Malcolm Bricklin known for the Bricklin SV-1 sports car (1974), International Automobile Importers (1982), Yugo (1985), Chery (2002), and the Bricklin 3EV (2024).
(International Automobile Importers was established to bring the Fiat X1/9 and 2000 sports cars to American shores after Fiat halted its own imports. The Chery operation was intended to import Chinese-made cars from Chery into the U.S.)
Sales
In total, Bricklin imported around 10,000 units of the 360 to the United States, along with a small number of the aforementioned vans and pickups. He departed from Subaru in 1971 after taking the company public. Prior to his departure, he initiated the import of the Subaru FF-1 Star, a more conventionally styled small sedan that offered notably more power than the 360. In many respects, the Star was the true first Subaru for the American market, at least in essence.
When it comes to the advertising, Subaru and Bricklin deserve praise for cleverly highlighting the vehicle’s shortcomings and trying to present them as a quirky positive. One might even wish that Malcolm himself had penned the ad copy. Moreover, unlike the Beetle, the 360 was genuinely perceived as somewhat unattractive.
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