This Subaru nameplate first appeared in 1984 as a compact hatchback aimed at the small-car market. It became one of the brand’s better-known early passenger cars outside Subaru’s core AWD lineup, and in 1987 Subaru highlighted the model again with the launch of a Justy version equipped with its world-first ECVT. That original Japanese-market run established the nameplate, but it did not continue as a single uninterrupted lineage.
After the first era ended, Subaru reused the name in Europe through OEM-built small cars. In the mid-1990s, the Justy badge was attached to a Suzuki-based subcompact sold in Europe, and Subaru later followed with the G3X Justy in the early 2000s. A second major revival came in 2007, when Subaru introduced an all-new European Justy based on Daihatsu’s Boon, positioned as an entry-level city car. That version again kept the nameplate alive in export markets, but it was a separate production period from the original Subaru-designed hatchback.
The most recent revival began in Japan in 2016, when Subaru reintroduced the Justy as an OEM model supplied by Daihatsu. That modern Japanese-market Justy is a practical compact vehicle and continues the nameplate in Subaru’s domestic lineup. Because the Justy has been discontinued and then revived more than once, its history is best understood as several distinct chapters rather than one continuous production run.