TOKYO - SUBARU has announced it will not contest the 2009 FIA World Rally championship due to the pressures of the global economic crisis, a day after fellow Japanese auto-maker Suzuki pulled out of the competition.

'Our business environment has been dramatically changed due to the quick deterioration of the global economy,' Subaru parent company Fuji Heavy Industries said in a statement on Tuesday.

'In order to optimise the management resources and to strengthen further the Subaru brand, FHI decided to withdraw from WRC activities at the earliest timing.'

Subaru has been involved in the WRC for the past 19 years, winning three manufacturer's championship titles and three driver's championships. -- AP