SubaruFactsIndependent engineering archive

R1 · 2004 announcement / 2005 sales plan

Two front seats, two occasional places.

The R1 was announced on 24 December 2004, with Japanese sales scheduled for 4 January 2005. Subaru emphasized personal use and flexible 2+2 space.

Scope

Japan · launch record only

Specifications

Values depend on model year, equipment and market. The cited source for each figure identifies its scope.

Red Subaru R1 R, front three-quarter view, with its registration concealed in the source image.
A red Subaru R1 R; the exact build year is not authenticated. It illustrates the two-door R1 kei car, not the R2 hatchback or a specific sales edition. Photo: Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0. Unaltered source file; the photographer released it under CC0 1.0.

Powertrain

Powertrain details

Japanese launch record: announced 24 December 2004 for sales scheduled to begin 4 January 2005. The launch R1 was a three-door 2+2 with a naturally aspirated 658 cc inline-four DOHC AVCS and i-CVT; 2WD and viscous AWD were offered. This launch record does not establish later supercharged specifications.

This profile has no structured powertrain table. See its scoped model details and linked configuration sheets; missing entries do not establish that a powertrain was unavailable.

Configuration

Model details

Launch naturally aspirated 658 cc inline-four DOHC AVCS with i-CVT. Optional leather/Alcantara; later supercharged versions require separate evidence.

Identify & buy

Identification and ownership notes

Descriptive model label; no chassis decoding or individual-vehicle authenticity inferred.

Follow the evidence

Sources for this page

  1. R1 launch announcement

    Announcement 24 December 2004, scheduled Japanese sales 4 January 2005. Three doors, 2+2 seating, 658 cc inline four DOHC AVCS/i-CVT at launch; 2WD and viscous AWD. Later supercharged variants are not covered by this launch specification.

    Fuji Heavy Industries · accessed 2026-10-07