- Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc.
Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (SIA) is an
automobile manufacturer inLafayette, Indiana USA. The address is 5500 State Road 38 E, Lafayette, IN 47905. It began as ajoint venture betweenFuji Heavy Industries (FHI) and Isuzu Motors Ltd. before the latter fell on hard times. The company was incorporated onMarch 17 ,1988 as Subaru Isuzu Automotive, Inc., and the plant building was completed onDecember 31 , 1988 and began producing theSubaru Legacy andIsuzu Rodeo in1989 . The factory was given $98 million in state and local tax incentives when it opened, and these remain in place.FHI purchased Isuzu's interest in the venture in
2003 for $1.00 as that company's sales faltered. [ [http://www.fhi.co.jp/english/news/press/2002/02_12_20se.htm Fuji Heavy Industries and Isuzu Motors Signed Agreements on Dissolution of SIA Joint Venture and Production Consignment] Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. Press Release December 20, 2002] With General Motors divesting from FHI, new minority shareholderToyota Motor Corporation plans to produce 30,000 to 40,000 Camrys per year at the plant starting in2007 to meet excess demand currently satisfied by imports from Japan. Most North American-market Camrys are now assembled atToyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky . Production of the Camry at SIA is expected to gradually increase to 100,000 units per annum. Camry production officially startedMarch 9 ,2007 , with the first Camry built by SIA rolling off the assembly line onApril 20 , 2007. [ [http://www.fhi.co.jp/english/news/press/2007/07_04_21e.html Fuji Heavy Industries Starts Producing Toyota Camry in U.S.] Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. Press Release April 21, 2007]SIA employed 2,813 people as of
April 21 ,2008 . [ [http://www.subaru-sia.com/Company/sia_outline_english_2007.pdf SIA Outline] SIA Outline April 21, 2008]The plant offers guided tours free of charge on Mondays and Wednesdays except during SIA's summer shutdown. Summer shutdown is
July 7 , 2008 -July 20 , 2008.Automobiles produced at SIA
Current
*
Subaru Legacy
*Subaru Outback
*Subaru B9 Tribeca (2006-present)
*Toyota Camry (2007-present)Historic
*
Honda Passport
*Isuzu Rodeo
*Isuzu Axiom
*Subaru Baja Controversy
The factory is located on
Indiana State Road 38 , named the Bataan Memorial Highway, as a memorial to theBataan Death March inWorld War II . This caused some controversy at the time the factory was built, since the road name indicated anti-Japanese feelings. In1995 , Subaru-Isuzu Automotive was the subject of investigative writer Laurie Graham by way of her book "On The Line at Subaru-Isuzu" (ISBN 0-87546-346-0) regarding working conditions at the plant.References
External links
* [http://www.subaru-sia.com Subaru of Indiana Automotive official website]
* [http://www.fhi.co.jp/about/english/index.html Fuji Heavy Industries official website (English)]
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