Subaru’s are one of the most popular vehicle manufacturers in the world, but have you ever found yourself wondering where the Subaru Outback is made?
Subaru Outbacks are manufactured in Ota, Japan, and Lafayette, Indiana in the United States. The Japanese plant serves the European market, while the Indiana plant manufactures and assembles all Outbacks for North America.
Let’s take a deeper look to learn about the production capacity of these facilities, and also learn how to figure out which plant your Subaru came from!
Subaru Outback Manufacturing Locations
There are two plants where they build the Subaru Outback. One of them is the Yajima Plant. That one is located in Ota, Japan. These Subarus sell in both the Japanese and European markets.
So, if you’ve got something from overseas, it was made in the Yajima Plant!
The other major plant is found in Lafayette, Indiana. That’s the Subaru of Indiana Automotive Plant.
They make a lot more than just the Outback over there, too. The Subaru of Indiana Automotive Plant is the only factory Subaru has outside of Japan.
As such, the SIA handles about one-third of their overall production. Nearly 35% of all Subaru’s cars come out of that plant. They pump out about 400,000 vehicles each year. And, the plant has a total of more than 6,000 employees.
The actual design is created at a location in Camden, NJ.
Handling the production here in American makes it easier for them to keep the prices low. In fact, a lot of Europeans have to pay much more for an Outback than we do here.
Is the Subaru Outback Made in America?
If you’ve bought a Subaru Outback, you might be wondering where it was made?
Typically, American Outbacks are built at the Subaru of Indiana Automotive Plant. This factory handles the production of all Subaru’s American automobiles.
They handle the assembly as well. So, the parts are created here in America, and they’re assembled here too.
European Subarus are made in the Yajima Plant over in Japan. They handle all the vehicles for markets outside of the United States.
Manufacturing the parts for Subaru takes place in one part of the factory. Then, they’re sent to an assembly line. That’s where they’re put together in their final configuration.
A similar process occurs in the Subaru Indiana Automotive Plant. The first section of the forge deals with manufacturing parts for the vehicle. Then, they’re sent to the next section of the factory. Once there, they’re assembled into their final form.
Not just Subaru Outbacks are put together there. They actually handle all of the vehicles made by Subaru for the North American market.
How to Check Where Your Subaru Outback Was Made
The easiest way you can know for sure where your Subaru Outback was made is by looking at the VIN on your car. These codes contain a ton of information about your vehicle. You can learn where it was made, and you can figure out when it was manufactured as well.
Take a peek at yours. Look at the first few letters to see what they are. Anything made in Japan should have a J as the first letter on the VIN.
However, if your vehicle was made in American, then you’ll see the number 1. Most vehicles made in America should have a VIN starting with the number 1. It’s the same with vehicles made by Subaru.
You can put your VIN into an online tool to learn a lot more about your vehicle, too. Simply type the whole string of characters into the tool. Then, hit the search button. Within a few moments, it should return a ton of info about your car.
What Other Subaru Models Are Made in the USA?
The Subaru Indiana Automotive plant doesn’t just make the Outback. It actually creates all the vehicles made by Subaru in North America.
You’ll find the Impreza at the facility. You can even see the Legacy being made there as well. And, finally, Subaru also makes their Ascent in the plant.
All of these vehicles start production in the first part of the factory. Then, they’re sent down the line to the next section of it. Once they’ve made it into the final section. They’ll be assembled by a bunch of automatic machinery.
After they’ve been assembled, they’re sent to the testing floor. Subaru makes sure they’re all up to standard. They’ll be shipped to various dealerships after all of that.
Which Subarus Are Made In Japan?
Several different models of Subaru are made at the Yajima facility. They put together the Subaru Outback there, of course. However, there are plenty of others made there as well.
They make the Impreza in the Yajima facility. These are sent to Japanese and European markets. Plus, they make the Levorg, WRX and Forester too. Even the BRZ is made at this facility as well.
All of these follow a similar manufacturing process. Each of the parts is made in the foundry. High heats work to mold the metals into their final shapes.
After everything has taken its final shape, it’ll be sent further down the line. Once it’s all reached the next section of the factory, assembly begins. The Japanese plant uses some of the most advanced robotics to automate the whole process. As the parts go down the line, they’re put together.
Once everything has been assembled, it’s time to test the final products. They’ll put the vehicles through a series of rigorous tests to ensure they’re safe.
The fully-assembled vehicles are put on ships. These go around the world to different markets. Some of them will make it to Australia. Others will go to Europe. Finally, a few of them are kept in Japan.
Manufacturing the Subaru Outback
The Subaru Outback is one of the world’s most popular station wagons. Many of them are made in the United States. These are put together at a facility in Indiana. It’s called the Subaru Indiana Automotive Plant.
Most foreign markets receive cars made at their Yajima facility. This is in Japan.
Both of these plants do a lot more than just make Outbacks, though. All of Subaru’s vehicles are made in them.
