Subaru of Indiana Automotive

40°23′N86°48′W/ 40.38°N 86.80°W/40.38; -86.80

Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc.
FormerlySubaru-Isuzu Automotive
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1987;37 years ago(1987)
Headquarters,
USA
Key people
Fumiaki Hayata (Chairman and CEO)
ProductsAutomobiles
OwnerSubaru Corporation
Number of employees
5,900[1](2020)
Websitesubaru-sia
Lafayette is located in the United States
Lafayette
Lafayette
Lafayette is located in Indiana
Lafayette
Lafayette

Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc.(often abbrevriated asSIA) is anautomobileassembly plantinLafayette, Indiana,United States, which began as "Subaru-Isuzu Automotive, Inc.", ajoint venturebetweenSubaru CorporationandIsuzu Motors Ltd.[2]Today, the plant is a wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation which produces the Ascent, Crosstrek, Legacy and Outback models. As Subaru's only manufacturing facility outside of Asia, SIA produces about half of all Subaru vehicles sold in North America.

History

edit

Subaru, then known as Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), andIsuzusigned a joint venture agreement on May 29, 1986, to form Subaru-Isuzu Automotive and to share production facilities at a new plant inLafayette, Indiana,[3]betweenIndianapolisandChicago.The plant was completed in late 1988 and officially began producing theSubaru LegacyandIsuzu Pickupon September 11, 1989.[4]While only about 500 cars were finished in the first full month of production, the plant's annual capacity was 240,000 vehicles.[2][5]

The Indiana state government gave Subaru-Isuzu US$86 million in incentives to locate in the state, after having lost theDiamond-Starmanufacturing plant to neighboring Illinois.[2]Subaru also planned to export about 1,000 Indiana-built Legacys per year to Taiwan.[4]

After Isuzu sales significantly dwindled, Subaru dissolved their joint agreement.[3]On January 1, 2003, Subaru purchased Isuzu's interest in the venture for one dollar[3]and renamed the facility "Subaru of Indiana Automotive." In addition to producing Subaru vehicles, the company continued to produce theIsuzu RodeoandHonda Passportbadge-engineeredtwins, as well as the Isuzu Amigo and Axiom through July 23, 2004. Next, under a contract with Toyota, SIA built theCamryfrom February 28, 2007, until May 27, 2016, when additional space was needed for increased Subaru production.

Over the course of its history, SIA has been recognized for a variety of achievements related to safety, quality and the environment. The company is most recognized for becoming the first auto manufacturer in the United States to achieve zero-landfill status on May 4, 2004.[6]In 2019, SIA celebrated multiple milestones, including its 4 millionth Subaru, 10 years as a zero-landfill facility, 30 years of production, and its 6 millionth vehicle overall.

As the popularity of Subaru vehicles has increased in the United States, the plant's production volume has increased as well. For the 2020-21 fiscal year, SIA expected production to increase to 410,000 vehicles.

Free guided tours are typically offered on Mondays and Wednesdays, except during its summer and winter shutdowns.

Current manufacture at SIA

edit

Past manufacture at SIA

edit

References

edit
  1. ^"Subaru-Indiana Automotive".Forbes.2021-04-20. Archived fromthe originalon 2021-06-09.
  2. ^abcKusmer, Ken (October 8, 1989)."Subaru, Isuzu try joint venture in Indiana".Eugene Register-Guard.(Oregon). Associated Press. p. 9C.
  3. ^abc"Dissolution of SIA Joint Venture and Production Consignment".Press Release, Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., Isuzu Motors Limited, December 20, 2002.
  4. ^abStark, Harry A.; Bush, James W., eds. (1990).Ward's Automotive Yearbook 1990.Vol. 52. Detroit, MI: Ward's Communications, Inc. p. 110.ISBN0910589010.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: ignored ISBN errors (link)
  5. ^Ward's Automotive Yearbook 1990,p. 188
  6. ^Guynup, Sharon."The Zero-Waste Factory".Scientific American.Retrieved2018-09-07.
  7. ^Brown, Alex."SIA begins Crosstrek production in Lafayette".Inside INdiana Business.Retrieved2023-05-18.
  8. ^"about SIA".SIA.Retrieved2023-05-14.
edit