Subaru sales increase 26% for December and 2012

Subaru not only saw record U.S. sales in December and all of 2012, but it says it is the only major maker to have increased sales for five years straight.

That's an amazing feat when you consider the last five years spans one of the worst recessions in U.S. history.

The Japanese automaker sold 36,653 vehicles in December, a 26% increase over the same month last year. For the full year, it sold 336,441, also a 26% increase.

It did on the strength of some remarkable sales growth of key models. Last year, sale of the Impreza, for instance, increased 150% over 2011. Even as Subaru dropped the poor-selling Tribeca in 2011, it picked up sales from the new BRZ and XV Crosstrek models last year.

"We met our goals for the year and we crossed a new milestone by exceeding 300,000 annual sales," says Thomas J. Doll, executive vice president of Subaru of America in a statement. Inc. "It was a great year for Subaru."