In 1984, Subaru and Suzuki worked together to develop a small vehicle that could fit into the kei car category and eventually exported with larger engines.
As a result, the Suzuki Cultus and the Subaru Justy came on the market, but their limited success was caused mainly by their height. Their greenhouses were too tight for the average-sized people. In 1989, both vehicles were updated with taller ones, and that helped them sell better.

The Justy was available with three and five doors. Its small size made it an excellent companion in crowded cities and in tight parking spots. The simple minimalist design language showed a set of rectangular headlights and a wide and narrow grille. Its black, wrapped-around bumper sported the corner-mounted turn-signals. In the rear, Subaru adopted the same idea for the bumper, but without turn-signals. Instead, it installed the fog-light. Despite its minimalist design, the carmaker tried to offer as much comfort and possible for the three-doors version and installed pop-out rear windows.

Inside, the car featured a straight dashboard with a rectangular instrument cluster. Even though it was a small vehicle, the carmaker offered it with a tachometer. The floor-mounted gear-stick stood on a taller center tunnel needed for the transmission. Subaru used the same floorpans for both front- or 4WD versions, which were available since 1988. In the rear, there was room just for two passengers.

Under the hood, Suzuki installed two inline-three engines and paired them with a Subaru gearbox that sent power in all corners.