Exactly our point. If Subaru only plans to offer one stitching option to keep production costs down, why in the world choose orange?! The logical choice would be an unoffensive color like black, grey, white, etc.
Let me put it another way: I've read several posts in which people report purchasing a base model Crosstrek (or a completely different car altogether!) simply because they disliked the orange stitching.
Therefore, we know the orange stitching is turning some customers away.
Which begs the question: is the orange stitching attracting more customers than it's losing? I sincerely doubt it, because while the stitching is the deciding factor that dissuades one group of would-be customers, it's unlikely to be the deciding factor in another group's affirmative decision to buy or lease (i.e. they would have bought the car anyway.)
Let's consider an analogy: Imagine if Apple produced phones with a neon yellow bezel. Would some customers love to have a yellow bezel? Of course! But if it's the only color available then many people who find neon yellow to be an offensive color would go elsewhere, and Apple's sales would suffer as a result.
Clearly some folks at Subaru decided this orange stuff was worth the gamble in order to set the car apart and speak to a younger demographic. Which is valid when you have other products available that appeal to buyers with more conventional taste. Even so, I believe this decision cost them sales, and they're in the business of selling cars...
