SUBARU ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2010 TECHNICAL COMPETITION

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct 7 /CNW/ - Subaru Canada, Inc. (SCI) is proud to announce the winners of its 2010 Technician Recognition Competition. The competition took place recently at the Technical Training Centre of SCI's Canadian headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario.

First place was claimed by Lee Harrison of Subaru of Calgary. A Grand Master technician, and winner of the 2007 competition, Harrison was awarded a well-deserved $2,000 cheque, a Dell Mini 10 netbook from Dell Canada, and an OTC Video Scope from SPX Canada.

Finishing second was Chris Grewcutt of Don Docksteader Motors Ltd. in Vancouver in his debut appearance at the competition. Grewcutt received a $1,000 cheque and the designation of Master Technician.

Third was Steven Smale from Fox Subaru Fredericton. Smale is another competition veteran, having finished in first place in 2008. He took home a cheque for $500.

"The sincere congratulations of everyone at Subaru go out to the winners—we were delighted with the extremely high level of expertise demonstrated by all the competitors,"

said Dean Phillips, manager, technical training, aftersales. "Subaru has worked hard to provide an effective combination of online and classroom learning opportunities for our technicians. The technicians are clearly taking full advantage of the training, and that's excellent news for our customers from coast to coast."

The 12 finalists earned the right to take part in this year's competition by receiving top marks in a series of written tests. They were then invited to Toronto to compete head-to-head in a hands-on competition in which each had to diagnose and correct identical malfunctions installed on identical vehicles. The pre-installed faults could include difficulties from the full range of vehicle operating systems: starting, charging, ignition, fuel and emissions control system, engine management, brakes, electrical, and HVAC.

"The written tests are an important first step in establishing who might have the right to claim Master Technician status," said Shiro Ohta, chairman, president and CEO of SCI. "But the true test comes during the half-day trouble-shooting competition in which they face a series of real problems on a real car with limited time. It's the kind of challenge they face every day in the dealership."

In addition to the contestants' success in finding and repairing the faults in the allotted time, the judges award points based on their workmanship, speed, accuracy, neatness, and safety practices. The 12 finalists were:

Dustin Winkler                        Jeff Heighington                      Shawn Monette                       Chris Grewcutt                        Steven Smale                         Regan Boulet                         Mario Moderie                        Patrice Dessureault                             Nicolaas Gregory                   Lee Harrison                          Corey Funk                            Alessandro Macari

Centaur Subaru Davenport Subaru of Orillia Davenport Subaru of Orillia Don Docksteader Motors Ltd. Fox Subaru Fredericton Frontier Subaru Lachute Subaru Option Subaru Specialty Motor Cars Subaru Calgary Thornhill Motors Ltd. Willowdale Subaru

All competitors received an Ingersoll Rand Titanium Impact Wrench, worth $400, from SCI.

Subaru Canada, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan.  Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of over 85 authorized dealers across Canada.

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For further information:

Elaine Griffin [phone]