Subaru mulling new plant in U.S.

Chris Paukert — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 18:05:00 EST

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Subaru

In mid-May, Subaru announced plans to expand its Lafayette, Indiana factory where it builds the Legacy, Outback and Tribeca, along with some Camry models for its partners at Toyota. The 52,000-square-foot expansion will bump capacity out to 180,000 units from 156K, and the $75M commitment will lead to around 100 new jobs. But that may just be the tip of the iceberg for Subaru's plans here in North America.

According to a new report from Japan's Kyodo News, Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries is investigating building a whole new plant in the States. The publication says that the plant could be online for the fiscal year beginning April 2015. The move would add capacity for the growing brand, which had sought to build a joint-venture plant in China, whose government has not yet signed off on the proceedings.

Subaru mulling new plant in U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Jun 2012 18:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Subaru "doubles down" on North America after faltering in China

Zach Bowman — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:29:00 EST

Filed under: China, Plants/Manufacturing, Subaru

Automotive News reports Subaru no longer plans to manufacture vehicles in China in the near future. The company had originally planned to begin building cars in the country by 2016, but has re-shifted its focus back toward North America. Subaru will now increase production at its Indiana facility while also investigating other ways to up capacity in NA. That could mean adding a new line in Indiana or building an entirely new facility.

It's only been 10 months since Subaru announced it planned to build a manufacturing plant in China in just five years. Last year, the company said it planned to build 150,000 units per year in the People's Republic and import an additional 30,000 vehicles. Those numbers have been slimmed to a more modest 100,000 units, all of which will be imports. While Yasuyuki Yoshinaga, the president of Fuji Heavy Industries, says he would still like to see Subaru have a factory in China, he doesn't expect it to happen by 2016.

In the meantime, Subaru has also increased its North American sales targets from 380,000 units to 410,000.

Subaru "doubles down" on North America after faltering in China originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 May 2012 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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