Trivia Night across the country this week will probably be asking the question, “Which is the only car company that increased sales in the U.S. in 2008?”.. The answer may surprise most..

One not surprised is former Subaru marketer, Norm Miglietta. Miglietta noted, “I think it has so much to do with how they’ve positioned themselves. Subaru has stayed true to their core strengths of full-efficient, durable, reliable cars and car-based SUVs. And thanks to the leadership of their marketing team they have stayed true to the core values of their customers as well. Under the leadership of Tim Mahoney, Subaru made a commitment to truly understanding their customer base and communicating to them in meaningful ways.”

So how did Subaru outperform Toyota by over 16% and Honda by over 8% in 2008? Ask their customers–they do.

Read their Commitment to the Outdoors here.