Business View Magazine | August 2022

137 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 8 a key part of the Continental Automotive Group. Subaru may not have had the largest market share in North America over the years, but it certainly has created a loyal following – with tough-built, off-road-ready, yet family-friendly vehicles that Subaru promotes on the idea of love. “We believe in the marketing that comes from Subaru itself, and Subaru is focused on love,” explains Chris Hudson, General Manager of Austin Subaru. “They are all about love, promise, and standing behind their product and proving it. It is not just a marketing campaign or a slogan, it is a culture that they have built right into everything they do.” “Their brand is focused on it being a lifestyle,” Hill adds, “which certainly works well in Austin where we have a lot of adventurous and outdoorsy type of people.” Alan Bethke, Subaru’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, has explained that “love” comes in many forms – love of the product, love of the brand, and love of what Subaru means – allowing the brand to capture what that concept of love means to different segments of consumers. But even love took a hit when the pandemic struck, and things looked dire at the beginning – when sales were down and the idea that most of us would need a car seemed to be in question. The team at Austin Subaru took this as a moment to re-evaluate who they are, what they are, and how they do business. It is this decision that has helped them to emerge from the last couple of years stronger than ever. “Things started changing in March of 2020 and we had no idea how it was going to go,” Hudson muses. “Every manufacturer decided to slow down production, which seemed like the right thing to do, but sales jumped when summer hit. Then there were parts shortages and supply chain issues that have changed the way we operate. Right from the beginning of the AUST IN SUBARU