Subaru of America sold 52,056 vehicles in September 2026, a 13.2 percent increase over September 2025, with the Forester delivering its best-ever September result and the WRX posting the kind of month-over-month spike that stops people mid-spreadsheet.
Forester led all models with 15,989 units sold, up 45.9 percent over the same month last year and 17.6 percent ahead year-to-date through nine months at 156,476 units. The result extends a streak that has made the compact crossover the defining story of Subaru’s 2026 lineup: Forester led all Subaru models for a sixth consecutive month in June, and it has held that top position every month since. Crosstrek followed in September with 15,296 units, up 6.8 percent year over year. Outback placed third at 12,651 units, a 1.9 percent gain over September 2025, though the nameplate remains down 10 percent on the year at 104,759 units.
The WRX number is the one that demands a second look. The performance sedan moved 1,703 units in September, up 166.1 percent over the 640 sold in September 2025. Year-to-date WRX volume stands at 12,027 units, a 47.8 percent improvement over the same period in 2025. That trajectory has been building all year: August WRX volume was up 191 percent year-over-year, and July’s figure more than tripled the prior-year month. Subaru credits the WRX’s position as an affordable manual option, and the recent debut of a limited-production 2027 WRX anniversary edition keeps the nameplate in the enthusiast conversation heading into Q4.
Not everything in the September table reads cleanly. Impreza fell 36.3 percent for the month and is down 42.4 percent year-to-date at 12,739 units. Solterra, Subaru’s battery-electric offering co-developed with Toyota, dropped 63.2 percent in September to just 163 units, leaving the nameplate at 5,635 year-to-date versus 9,972 through September 2025. Legacy, effectively a discontinued model in the US market based on its sales trajectory, recorded 2 units for the month. The two newcomers, Trailseeker and Uncharted, contributed 849 and 215 units respectively in September, adding to year-to-date totals of 5,610 and 3,385.
At the brand level, the September gain pulls year-to-date volume to 475,878 units, which leaves Subaru down 1.5 percent versus the first nine months of 2025. The math behind that gap is straightforward: Forester and WRX are growing faster than the brand’s legacy sedans and its EV are declining, but Outback’s 10 percent year-to-date shortfall and Crosstrek’s 3.1 percent dip mean the crossover core isn’t entirely compensating either. A strong September narrows the deficit; it doesn’t close it.
Ascent posted an 18.2 percent September gain to 3,631 units, up 3.9 percent year-to-date at 32,556. BRZ moved 214 units for the month, a 20.9 percent increase, though the nameplate sits slightly negative at 2,234 year-to-date versus 2,284 a year ago.
Forester has now put together one of its strongest calendar years in the nameplate’s history. Whether the pace holds through Q4 depends on how well the broader electrified lineup recovers from its Solterra softness. If Forester Hybrid volume picks up the slack the Solterra is leaving behind, Subaru ends the year with a genuine growth story. If it doesn’t, the headline number stays flattered by one model carrying most of the weight.
Source: Subaru. Images courtesy of Subaru.
