Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc.

Lafayette
Location in the United States
Lafayette
Location in Indiana
Subaru of Indiana Automotive
FormerlySubaru-Isuzu Automotive
Typemanufacturing
Industryautomobile
Founded1987
Headquarters
Lafayette, Indiana
,
USA
Key people
Fumiaki Hayata
Productsautomobiles
OwnerSubaru Corporation
Number of employees
6,322 (2020)
Websitehttp://www.subaru-sia.com

Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (SIA) is an automobile assembly plant in Lafayette, Indiana, which began as a joint venture between Subaru Corporation, formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), and Isuzu Motors Ltd.[1] Today, the plant is a wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation which produces the Ascent, Impreza, 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 and Isuzu signed a joint venture agreement on May 29, 1986, to form Subaru-Isuzu Automotive and share production facilities at a new plant in Lafayette, Indiana,[2] between Indianapolis and Chicago. The plant officially began producing the Subaru Legacy and Isuzu Pickup on September 11, 1989.[1]

After Isuzu sales significantly dwindled, Subaru dissolved their joint agreement.[2] On January 1, 2003, Subaru purchased Isuzu's interest in the venture for one dollar[2] 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 contract with Toyota, SIA next built the Camry from February 28, 2007, until May 27, 2016, when additional space was needed for additional 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.[3] 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

Past manufacture at SIA

References
  1. Kusmer, Ken (October 8, 1989). "Subaru, Isuzu try joint venture in Indiana". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. p. 9C.
  2. "Dissolution of SIA Joint Venture and Production Consignment". Press Release, Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., Isuzu Motors Limited, December 20, 2002.
  3. Guynup, Sharon. "The Zero-Waste Factory". Scientific American. Retrieved 2018-09-07.


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