Subaru's name and logo derive from the Pleiades star cluster, called ‘Subaru’ in Japan. The company set out building planes for the Japanese war effort during WWII and in the 1950s Subaru up the challenge set by the Japanese government to build a small, affordable high quality car. The result was the Subaru 360 mini car which became a milestone in the history of Japan's automobile industry. Subaru branched out to the US and beyond, and even became the official car of the US Olympic Ski Team at the 1976 Winter Olympics. Today, Subaru vehicles earn the loyalty and trust of its fans with exceptional performance and dependability.