Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (often abbreviated as SIA) is an

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

assembly plant in Lafayette, Indiana, United States, which began as "Subaru-Isuzu Automotive, Inc.", a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...

between

Subaru Corporation , formerly , is a Japanese multinational corporation and conglomerate primarily involved in both terrestrial and aerospace transportation manufacturing. It is best known for its line of Subaru automobiles. Founded in 1953, the company was nam ...

and Isuzu Motors Ltd. 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

Subaru, then known as Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), and

Isuzu , commonly known as Isuzu (, ), is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Its principal activity is the production, marketing and sale of Isuzu commercial vehicles and diesel engines ...

signed a joint venture agreement on May 29, 1986, to form Subaru-Isuzu Automotive and to share production facilities at a new plant in Lafayette, Indiana, between

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

and

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. The plant was completed in late 1988 and officially began producing the Subaru Legacy and Isuzu Pickup on September 11, 1989. While only about 500 cars were finished in the first full month of production, the plant's annual capacity was 240,000 vehicles. ''Ward's Automotive Yearbook 1990'', p. 188 The Indiana state government gave Subaru-Isuzu US$86 million in incentives to locate in the state, after having lost the Diamond-Star manufacturing plant to neighboring Illinois. Subaru also planned to export about 1,000 Indiana-built Legacys per year to Taiwan. After Isuzu sales significantly dwindled, Subaru dissolved their joint agreement. On January 1, 2003, Subaru purchased Isuzu's interest in the venture for one dollar and renamed the facility "Subaru of Indiana Automotive." In addition to producing Subaru vehicles, the company continued to produce the Isuzu Rodeo and Honda Passport badge-engineered twins, as well as the Isuzu Amigo and Axiom through July 23, 2004. Next, under a contract with Toyota, SIA built the Camry from 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. 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

* Subaru Outback (May 17, 1999 – present) * Subaru Ascent/Evoltis (May 7, 2018 – present) * Subaru Crosstrek (May 17, 2023 – present)

Past manufacture at SIA

* Isuzu Pickup (September 11, 1989 – 1995) * Subaru Legacy (September 11, 1989 – 2025) * Isuzu Rodeo (May 15, 1990; July 21, 1997 – July 23, 2004) * Honda Passport (November 16, 1993; July 21, 1997 – 2002) * Isuzu Amigo (January 8, 1998 – July 23, 2004) * Isuzu Axiom (January 15, 2001 – July 23, 2004) * Subaru Baja (July 18, 2002 – 2006) * Subaru Tribeca (April 4, 2005 – January 2014) * Toyota Camry (February 28, 2007 – May 27, 2016) * Subaru Impreza (November 1, 2016 – May 2023)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Subaru Of Indiana Automotive, Inc. Motor vehicle assembly plants in Indiana Isuzu Subaru Toyota factories Lafayette, Indiana