At about 6:30 on the morning of June 25, 2025, a 2025 Subaru Legacy Limited in Cosmic Blue Pearl drove off the assembly line in Lafayette, Indiana, as the 6 millionth Subaru built at Subaru of Indiana Automotive. It was a bittersweet choice. The Legacy was the first Subaru ever manufactured in the United States, and its production was about to end with the 2025 model year.
SIA is Subaru's only manufacturing plant outside Japan and, according to the company, produces about half of all Subarus sold in North America. It employs more than 6,500 people and is now the North American home of the Ascent, Crosstrek and Forester. Scott Brand, SIA's president and chief operating officer, marked the milestone this way:
"This milestone is a powerful reminder of how far we've come over the past 38 years." — Scott Brand, president and COO, Subaru of Indiana Automotive
A joint venture that became Subaru's own
The plant began as a partnership. In May 1986, Fuji Heavy Industries, now Subaru Corp., and Isuzu agreed to build a U.S. factory together. Thirteen sites in seven states made the shortlist before Lafayette was chosen in December 1986, and Subaru-Isuzu Automotive was incorporated in Indiana in March 1987. Ground was broken that May for an original 2.3-million-square-foot plant that handled everything from stamping to final assembly. Production of the Subaru Legacy and an Isuzu pickup began on Sept. 11, 1989, and the plant was dedicated on Oct. 16 with a weeklong grand opening.
Over the years SIA built a surprising range of vehicles: the Subaru Legacy, Outback, Impreza, Baja and Tribeca; the Isuzu pickup, Rodeo, Amigo and Axiom; and the Honda Passport. Subaru took sole ownership in January 2003, renaming the plant Subaru of Indiana Automotive, and Isuzu production ended on July 23, 2004. Then came the most unusual chapter: from Feb. 28, 2007, until May 2016, SIA built the Toyota Camry under contract, earning J.D. Power's Platinum Plant Assembly Line Quality Award for Camry production in 2013.
Subaru of Indiana Automotive at a glance
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| March 1987 | Subaru-Isuzu Automotive incorporated in Indiana |
| Sept. 11, 1989 | Production of the Subaru Legacy and Isuzu pickup begins |
| January 2003 | Becomes Subaru of Indiana Automotive under sole Subaru ownership |
| May 4, 2004 | Achieves zero-landfill status, a first for a U.S. auto plant |
| Feb. 28, 2007 | Toyota Camry production begins under contract (ends May 2016) |
| May 2018 | Subaru Ascent joins the production mix |
| May 2023 | Crosstrek production replaces the Impreza |
| June 25, 2025 | 6 millionth Subaru, a 2025 Legacy, leaves the line |
Sources: Subaru of Indiana Automotive and Subaru of America.
The Legacy's run in Indiana lasted 36 years and seven generations, during which Subaru says it racked up more than 1.3 million U.S. sales and spawned the Outback, which grew out of the Legacy wagon. Subaru attributed its end to buyers shifting from cars to SUVs and to the company's move toward electrified vehicles. In its place, SIA said in June 2025 that it would start building the Forester that fall, followed by the Forester Hybrid in the spring.
By the numbers
The site covers a building footprint of more than 4.6 million square feet and about 5.8 million square feet of floor space, with 16.85 miles of conveyors, a two-mile test track and stamping presses rated up to 5,000 tons. SIA lists its capacity at 32,956 vehicles a month on an eight-hour-per-shift schedule. Output has grown from 4,087 vehicles in 1989 to a peak of 372,162 in fiscal 2019; it built 367,673 in fiscal 2024, with 351,186 projected for fiscal 2025, measured from April through March.
Zero landfill and bald eagles
SIA's environmental record is the part of its story Subaru repeats most. The plant says it was the first U.S. auto plant to go smoke-free (1994), to earn ISO 14001 environmental certification (1998), to reach zero landfill (2004) and to earn ISO 50001 energy certification (2012). Paint overspray is collected to make highway safety barricades, glass from used light bulbs becomes reflective road striping, and shipping packaging goes back to suppliers for reuse. Subaru of America describes SIA as the only U.S. auto plant designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, and the plant lists bald eagles, great blue herons, coyotes, deer, beavers and great horned owls among the residents of its ponds and woods.
Why it matters in 2026
Subaru says the 2027 Ascent is assembled at SIA alongside the Crosstrek and Forester, and the 2027 Forester and Forester Hybrid are built in both Lafayette and Gunma, Japan. The Forester was Subaru's best seller in September 2026, with 15,989 sales in a month when Subaru of America's total rose 13.2% to 52,056.
Where a Subaru is built now carries real money. Most Japanese-built cars and SUVs now face a combined 15% tariff under the 2025 U.S.-Japan agreement, while vehicles assembled at SIA are not imports. And for buyers, the IRS car-loan interest deduction for 2025 through 2028 applies only to new vehicles with final assembly in the United States, so a Forester shopper should check the window label or VIN to see which plant built the one on the lot.