Autoblog

Subaru investing $400 million for Impreza production in Indiana

Jeffrey N. Ross — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:15:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchback, Subaru, Earnings/Financials

As a part of a goal to increase its US sales tally up to 500,000 annual units by the end of the decade, Subaru is investing $400 million in its Lafayette, IN assembly plant in order to start building the Impreza in 2016. According to Automotive News, about half of that investment will be for a new paint plant while another big chunk will be used to extend the assembly line to allow for the increased capacity.

Currently, Subaru's Lafayette plant is responsible for building about 200,000 Legacy, Outback and Tribeca models each year (not including around 100,000 Toyota Camry sedans), but Subaru-specific output will be increased to 300,000 units, requiring an additional 900 new hires as well. Although a previous report suggested the Forester and Impreza would be moving Stateside, this AN article only mentions the hatchback and sedan versions of the Impreza being added to Lafayette - and no mention of the closely related XV Crosstrek.

Subaru investing $400 million for Impreza production in Indiana originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 May 2013 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Subaru mulling expanding Indiana plant for Forester, Impreza

Jeffrey N. Ross — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 18:31:00 EST

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Subaru

Thanks to currency fluctuations and their impact on the bottom line, a growing number of Japanese automakers are starting to increase vehicle production in the US, and it appears Subaru could be the next to do so. According to Bloomberg, Subaru is looking into expanding production capacity at its Lafayette, Indiana assembly plant, which currently builds the Outback, Legacy and Tribeca as well as the Toyota Camry.

Subaru's Indiana plant currently has an annual maximum capacity of 310,000 units, but the automaker is expecting to far exceed that figure this year, with year-to-date sales of 299,788 units through November (not including Camry) - an increase of almost 30 percent over 2011. The report indicates that Subaru could expand the plant to add as many 50,000 additional units to the plant, likely in the form of either the Forester or Impreza.

Subaru mulling expanding Indiana plant for Forester, Impreza originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Dec 2012 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: Subaru to boost Indiana output by 40%

Zach Bowman — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:58:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Wagon, Plants/Manufacturing, Subaru, Toyota

2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT - Click above for high-res image gallery

Subaru is still seeing record sales for its newly redesigned Legacy and Outback, and as such, the company is looking to bump up production at the birthplace of our long-term Legacy 2.5GT by a hefty 40 percent. Automotive News reports that Fuji Heavy Industries wants to see a total of 140,000 vehicles roll out of the doors at its Indiana plant by the end of 2010 - a figure that could prove to be problematic considering that the Lafayette facility is presently only geared to turn out 100,000 cars per year.

That means Subaru will have to rummage up a way to crank out an extra 40,000 units, which may mean adding an additional production line. So far, Subaru hasn't said how it plans to meet the goals set forth by the higher-ups, but Automotive News seems to think the company may take over a line currently devoted to producing the Toyota Camry. Considering there are whispers that the increased output will require an investment of tens of millions of dollars, our money is on seeing another line at the plant.

Last year, Subaru sold a total of 216,652 vehicles. The company says that with the announced nudge in production, that figure should increase to 230,000 for 2010.

Gallery: Subaru Automotive Indiana

[Source: Automotive News]

Report: Subaru to boost Indiana output by 40% originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

First 2010 Subaru Legacy rolls off the line in Indiana

Alex Nunez — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:01:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Plants/Manufacturing, Subaru

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the 2010 Subaru Legacy

The 5th-generation Subaru Legacy has officially begun production, with the first car rolling off the Lafayette, Indiana assembly line late last week to confetti-strewn, ribbon-cutting fanfare. In keeping with Subaru's recent new-model introductions, beginning with the current Impreza and continuing with the new Forester, the 2010 Subaru Legacy wears controversial new bodywork that abandons the elegantly understated lines of the outgoing model in favor of a more stylized (overstyled?) face attached to a car that has grown dimensionally in order to be better-positioned against the likes of the Honda Accord. With production now underway, look for the new Subaru Legacy to start arriving in U.S. showrooms by July. We'll weigh in with our impressions of the car as soon as we can get our hands on one. Thanks to Steve B. for the tip!

Gallery: 2010 Subaru Legacy

[Source: JConline.com]

First 2010 Subaru Legacy rolls off the line in Indiana originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 31 May 2009 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

First Subaru Camry rolls off the line in Indiana

Dan Roth — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 17:32:00 EST

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Subaru, Toyota

No, we're not confused - Subaru's parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, and Toyota cooked up a deal in 2006 that creates more production capacity for the Camry by having Subaru of Indiana Automotive begin building the country's best selling car. The deal was one of the first fruits born from Toyota's decision to snatch up the 8.7% stake in Subaru that GM dropped back in 2005.

The agreement nets Toyota the ability to produce 100,000 more of the vanilla sedans per year (Toyota sold an already impressive 448,445 Camrys in 2006) at Subaru's plant in Lafayette, Indiana. Subaru, meahwhile, snared a $230 million payment from Toyota to build even more of the best-seller, and 1,000 jobs have been added, as well, to nearly double the 120,000 Tribecas, Outbacks and Legacys the plant produced in 2006. The local community also netted a $60,000 donation to their zoo's owl exhibit in return for support of the deal.

So, Toyota gets more Camrys to sell, Subaru earns money, the citizens of Lafayette, Indiana have 1,000 more jobs, and the owls at the Columbian Park Zoo win an upgrade to their exhibit. Maybe they'll tell their other bird friends to aim for cars other than Camrys.

PR After the jump.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading First Subaru Camry rolls off the line in Indiana

First Subaru Camry rolls off the line in Indiana originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Apr 2007 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments