Who makes Subaru
Subaru is a Japanese automotive brand known for its boxer engines and standard all-wheel drive systems. The company behind these vehicles is Subaru Corporation, which evolved from Fuji Heavy Industries and continues to operate as an independent manufacturer. Its lineup includes sedans, crossovers, and SUVs shaped around symmetrical drivetrain layouts rather than conventional front-drive platforms. Understanding who builds these cars helps explain why their engineering priorities, model generations, trim levels, body styles, and market specifications differ from many competitors.
Essential answer
Subaru vehicles are made by Subaru Corporation, a Japanese transportation and aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Tokyo. The automaker traces its lineage to Fuji Heavy Industries, the industrial group that launched the Subaru automobile brand and later adopted the automotive name for the whole company. Today Subaru operates as its own carmaker, collaborating with Toyota on some platforms and equity arrangements but retaining distinct engineering, assembly, and design responsibility for its core models.
Most Subaru cars sold in the United States are produced in Japan, primarily at plants in Gunma Prefecture. A separate manufacturing facility in Lafayette, Indiana assembles select models for the North American market, including vehicles such as the Outback, Ascent, Legacy, and Crosstrek depending on the model year and generation. A vehicle identification number or door-jamb label provides the most reliable way to confirm where a specific example was built, since production sourcing varies by powertrain configuration and market specification.