Potty-mouthed Overseas Subaru Earns Domestic Rebuke

Late Friday, just before news of a resurrected Hummer broke, we regaled you with the story of the Subaru Forester Ultimate Customized Kit Special edition— a flashy Forester with no backstory that appeared at the brand’s Singapore Motor Show booth.

A Subaru bearing a expletive acronym was bound to make waves, and those ripples apparently reached the offices of Subaru of America. Company execs of the wholesome, family-friendly automaker were not amused.

Thanks to an anonymous tipster who contacted The Drive, we can see the automaker’s reaction. Seeing the headlines spawned by the Subaru FUCKS, the company’s American arm fired off a letter to its dealers.

Whether the company’s effort to distance itself from this unholy creation went too far is up to the reader. It seems the vehicle displayed in Singapore was the work of the local distributor, which decided to commission an attention-seeking one-off for the show.

From the letter to retailers:

Yesterday afternoon we learned about an unfortunate situation related to the name given to a special edition Forester by the independent distributor in Singapore. We want to make sure that you and all of your customers know that Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) and Subaru Corporation (SBR) had nothing to do with this.

We apologize for any negative feedback this may have caused. SBR has had the name removed from the car at the Singapore Auto Show. We work very hard to build a strong brand image for this company and the naming of this vehicle in no way reflects the values and standards we hold true. Furthermore, we will always do our best to protect our brand’s integrity.

Amusingly, Subaru ended the letter by stating “it goes without saying that this car will not be available in the United States market.”

Odds that Subaru will diverge from its happy-dogs-in-canoes marketing direction into the realm of the risqué seem to be nil, and the same goes for vehicle branding. That said, postmodern changes to a certain medical acronym have rendered the STI version of the WRX somewhat problematic.