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 Lafayette ( ) is a city in and is the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Lafayette ...

, 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

, 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 The is a mid-size car built by Japanese automobile manufacturer Subaru from 1989 to 2025. The maker's flagship car, it is unique in its class for offering all-wheel drive as a standard feature, and Subaru's traditional boxer engine. The Leg ...

and

Isuzu Pickup The Isuzu Faster is a pickup truck that was manufactured and marketed by Isuzu between 1972 and 2002 over three generations. It was sold under myriad nameplates, most commonly they were marketed under their respective model codes: Isuzu KB for t ...

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 The Isuzu Rodeo is an automotive nameplate that was used by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Isuzu between 1988 and 2004. Isuzu has utilized the "Rodeo" name on two different vehicles—a compact pickup truck sold in Japan, and a midsize SUV ...

and

Honda Passport The Honda Passport is a line of sport utility vehicles (SUV) from the Japanese automaker Honda. Originally, it was a rebadged version of the Isuzu Rodeo, a mid-size SUV sold between 1993 and 2002. It was introduced in 1993 for the 1994 model ye ...

badge-engineered In the automotive industry, rebadging (also known as badge engineering, an intentionally ironic misnomer in that little or no actual engineering takes place) is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. ...

twins, as well as the Isuzu Amigo and Axiom through July 23, 2004. Next, under a contract with Toyota, SIA built the

Camry The Toyota Camry (; Japanese: トヨタ・カムリ ''Toyota Kamuri'') is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact in size (narrow-body), the Cam ...

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 The Subaru Outback is an automotive nameplate used by the Japanese automaker Subaru for two different themed vehicles: a Legacy-derived station wagon, the Outback (1994–present, also sold as in some markets), and an Impreza-derived off-road ...

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

Subaru Crosstrek The is a compact crossover SUV produced by Subaru since 2012. It is a successor to the Outback Sport in the United States and Canada, and the Impreza XV globally. Like the Outback Sport, the Crosstrek is a lifted Impreza hatchback with minor ...

(May 17, 2023 – present)

Past manufacture at SIA

(September 11, 1989 – 1995) *

(September 11, 1989 – 2025) *

(May 15, 1990; July 21, 1997 – July 23, 2004) *

(November 16, 1993; July 21, 1997 – 2002) * Isuzu Amigo (January 8, 1998 – July 23, 2004) *

Isuzu Axiom The Isuzu Axiom is a mid-size Sport Utility Vehicle, SUV introduced by Isuzu in 2001 for the 2002 model year. The Axiom is derived from the Isuzu Wizard, Isuzu Rodeo and was intended to be Isuzu's response to the popularity of car-based SUVs, such ...

(January 15, 2001 – July 23, 2004) *

Subaru Baja The Subaru Baja is an all-wheel-drive, four passenger coupé utility manufactured from 2002 to 2006 by Subaru and marketed for model years 2003 to 2006. The Baja combines the handling and passenger carrying characteristics of a traditional passen ...

(July 18, 2002 – 2006) * Subaru Tribeca (April 4, 2005 – January 2014) *

Toyota Camry The Toyota Camry (; Japanese: トヨタ・カムリ ''Toyota Kamuri'') is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact in size (narrow-body), the Cam ...

(February 28, 2007 – May 27, 2016) *

Subaru Impreza The is a compact car that has been manufactured by the Japanese automaker Subaru since 1992. It was introduced as a replacement for the Leone, with the predecessor's EA series engines replaced by the new EJ series. It is now in its sixth g ...

(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