These Subaru Models Are Built In America, Not Japan
Even though Subaru is a Japanese company, many models are built in the United States
Subaru is one of Japan's automotive juggernauts. Established in 1953, it revealed its first model, the 1500, the following year and launched the mass-market 360 in 1958. The company is as Japanese as origami and cherry blossoms, but that doesn't mean it only builds cars in Japan. In fact, Subaru also manufactures vehicles right here in the United States.
Car companies often build vehicles in several countries. For example, Toyota has factories in Japan, Thailand, India, the U.S., Canada, Mexico, France, Poland, and Brazil, among others. Subaru's reach doesn't extend as far, as it builds cars only in its home country and the U.S.
Subaru arrived in the U.S. in 1968, and the popularity of its models surged in the 1970s. As sales rose, Subaru realized it'd be wise to start building cars locally and opened the Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA) plant in 1989. More than six million cars have been built at this site, and if you drive a Subaru in the U.S., there's a good chance it was built locally.
Some of Subaru's most popular models are built in the U.S.
The largest model Subaru builds in the U.S. is the Ascent. The three-row SUV comes in seven- and eight-seat configurations and is built exclusively at the Lafayette plant. Subaru launched the Ascent as a successor to the Tribeca in 2018, and while it's now almost a decade old, it still remains surprisingly popular. In fact, sales through the first nine months of this year were up 3.9% from 2025, with 32,556 sold.
Subaru's Indiana plant also produces the Crosstrek. This has long been one of the company's best-selling products in the U.S. and is now in its third generation. From January to September this year, Subaru sold 142,725 units, making it the brand's second best-selling model behind the Forester.
Speaking of the Forester, it is also made in the U.S. Production of the new hybrid Forester kicked off at the Indiana plant in February, while the gas-powered model has been built locally for the past year. Subaru hasn't historically built the Forester in the U.S., as all previous generations were made in Japan. Subaru only recently started local production of it to fill the void left behind by the Outback, which had been built in the U.S. but has now shifted back to Japan. Subaru also built the Legacy in the U.S., but local production ended last September.