automotive

Subaru Backs ASPCA With Festivals

Subaru of America, Inc. is sponsoring the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) for the first time. The Cherry Hill, N.J. automaker will center sponsorship on three "Go Orange for Animals" festivals in celebration of April's Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month.

The festivals--in New York City's Union Square Park as well as Austin, Texas and Los Angeles--follow Subaru's "Share the Love" campaign in which it offered to give $250 of each new-vehicle purchase price to one of five charities; one of the groups was the ASPCA.

As part of the sponsorship, Subaru will have colorfully wrapped, co-branded Subaru vehicles, local support, and additional events in six communities including Austin; Charleston, S.C.; New York; Philadelphia; Spokane, Wash.; and Tampa, Fla. The ASPCA selected the communities to be part of the "Mission: Orange" program to improve animal welfare and education.

In addition, all Subaru dealers in the U.S. will be able to partner with ASPCA-recommended local animal welfare organizations to host Subaru Adoption Days, which will take place at Subaru dealerships, animal shelters, and local parks and malls.

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"Share the Love" ended in February, and this month, the company launched a marketing push, "Go Love Spring," which offers 2.9% financing and lease offers on a range of 2009 model Subaru vehicles.

A Subaru representative says that "Share the Love" helped sales. "We think sales were a bit better, but our sales were good to begin with because of our price repositioning, because people were downsizing last year, and with the launch of the new Forrester."

Subaru is one of few companies that have bucked the trend through February this year. In the first two months of this year, it sold 25,283 vehicles, for a 4% gain in sales versus the first quarter last year. Last month alone, the company sold 13,089 vehicles, for a 1% gain.

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