The Subaru R1 is a

kei car Kei car is the smallest category of Japanese expressway-legal motor vehicles. The term ''kei'' is a shortening of , (kanji: ), which translates to English as "light vehicle" (). With restricted dimensions and engine specifications, owners ...

manufactured by the Japanese carmaker

Subaru is the automaker, automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate (company), conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, twenty-first largest aut ...

from 2005 to 2010.

Design

Entering production on January 4, 2005, the R1 is a two-door version of the Subaru R2, but with a shorter body and wheelbase. The R1 is unusual in that it does not use up the maximum length allowed for by the kei car regulations—the only other kei cars to have done this since the 1989 Autozam Carol were the Suzuki Twin,

Daihatsu Midget The Daihatsu Midget is a single-seater kei truck, mini-truck, later a microvan/kei truck made by Japanese automaker Daihatsu. Several distinct vehicles have borne the Midget name over the years, but all have had in common a single or two-seat uti ...

, Toyota C+pod, and the European Smart Fortwo. The R1 was only available in one spec level up to the end of 2005, using a 658 cc Subaru EN engine. The engine is available in three versions: the I with the EN07U

SOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combus ...

engine, the R with the EN07D DOHC engine rated at 40 kW (54 horsepower) and the STi with an EN07X

supercharged In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement. It is a form of forced induction that is mechanically powered (usually by ...

and intercooled engine rated at . The R1 is being marketed as a personal car and as a middle-aged couple's second car; a combination of leather and Alcantara seating is available. All R1s are equipped with a CVT, and all trim levels are available with

front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of internal combustion engine, engine and transmission (mechanics), transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles feature ...

as well as

four-wheel drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pr ...

. In its promotional materials, the R1 was frequently compared to the Subaru 360, the first production Subaru automobile. Subaru R1 rear

Derivative vehicles

The R1 is the base car for the following vehicles: *The Subaru R1e, an experimental

battery electric vehicle A battery electric vehicle (BEV), pure electric vehicle, only-electric vehicle, fully electric vehicle or all-electric vehicle is a type of electric vehicle (EV) that uses electrical energy exclusively from an electric vehicle battery, on-boa ...

undergoing limited production for selected industrial clients in Japan. There was intense interest in this vehicle within the US EV community, as it uses lithium-ion batteries (which contribute to a significant improvement in range and can be 80% recharged in just 15 minutes). *The Prodrive P2 concept

sports car A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as Automobile handling, handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and Auto racing, racing capability. Sports cars originated in ...

.Top Gear Season 8 Episode 5 2006.06.04

Collectibles

Tomica manufactured a diecast 1/56 R1 in 2005 as No. 111, and

Takara was a Japanese toy company founded in 1955. In March 2006, the company merged with Tomy, Tomy Company, Ltd. to form Tomy, Takara Tomy. The Takara motto was("playing is culture"). The company focused on traditional toys and board games. They cr ...

made a Choro-Q plastic pull-back R1. There's also a Norev model at scale 1:43.

References

{{Subaru R1 Kei cars Front-wheel-drive vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Vehicles with CVT transmission Cars introduced in 2005 Cars discontinued in 2010 2010s cars