Paying a reported $12m, the New Jersey based Subaru will be using Lance Armstrong as its advertising spokesman for the next four years. TV ads will appear from tomorrow on US cable channels and print ads start at the end of May in mags such as People, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, and Time.

Lance stars in auto ads

Subaru is owned by Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan.

"Lance Armstrong is a perfect fit for Subaru," said Fred Adcock, executive vice president of Subaru of America, as reported in the Austin Business Journal,

"He’s a rugged individualist. He’s authentic and passionate about what he believes. He’s engineered like no other to perform like no other. And, like Subaru, Lance is driven by an indomitable spirit. He is driven by what’s inside."

And this is Subaru’s new tagline: Driven By What’s Inside.

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