Posted by Heidi Schwartz
Subaru Canada, Inc. (SCI) announced that its Impreza line of cars will be produced in its North American plant beginning in 2016. Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (SIA), the North American manufacturer of Subaru vehicles, will expand its plant in Lafayette, IN to produce the popular compact sedans and hatchbacks, creating 900 new jobs in the process.
Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd. (FHI) will invest $400 million to build the Impreza at its North American production facility, SIA, and increase the plant’s capacity by approximately 100,000 vehicles annually. The expansion will involve construction to develop SIA’s space by over half a million square feet. The project will also involve the installation of new state-of-the-art equipment—primarily in the paint and body assembly sections—as well as changes to improve overall process flow, including the addition of 900 jobs to its workforce.
“Our associates are very excited about the opportunity to build the Subaru Impreza at SIA and will remain committed to the same high level of quality, safety and teamwork that goes into every Subaru built at SIA,” stated SIA’s executive vice president, Tom Easterday.
“FHI’s decision to move production to SIA illustrates their confidence in Subaru’s North American market ,” said Shiro Ohta, president and CEO of Subaru Canada, Inc.
Construction of the planned expansion is slated to begin this fall and is expected to be completed by the end of 2016. Construction continues on the $75 million expansion project announced last May, which will increase SIA’s capacity from 156,000 to 180,000 Subaru units annually without overtime.
