Subaru's first car was introduced on March 3, 1958. It was a tiny car with a distinctive look, the Subaru 360. At the time, Japanese auto makers were working on developing small cars according to a plan calling for the production of a "people's car" as advocated by the Japanese Ministry of Transport. The Subaru 360 was developed in line with this concept. In those days most people in Japan simply couldn't afford a passenger car. Building a small, affordable car that could perform well proved to be difficult technologically, and many manufacturers were reluctant to tackle the problem. However Subaru, (an airplane maker) took up the challenge. It beat the other manufacturers in developing a four-passenger, four-wheel minicar, the Subaru 360, which was a milestone in Japan's automotive history. Because of its ladybug shape, the Subaru 360 was referred to as the Ladybird. For 12 years after its debut, the Subaru 360 was very popular. The last one was produced in May 1970