Who Makes Subaru?
Subaru is made by Subaru Corporation, formerly Fuji Heavy Industries. Toyota holds a minority stake and shares platforms on the Solterra and BRZ.
Quick Answer
Subaru is made by Subaru Corporation, a Japanese multinational headquartered in Ebisu, Tokyo. The company was known as Fuji Heavy Industries until it renamed itself Subaru Corporation in April 2017.
Toyota Motor Corporation owns about 20 percent of Subaru through a strategic partnership dating back to 2005, but Subaru operates as an independent automaker with its own products and dealer network.
The Company
Subaru Corporation traces its roots to Nakajima Aircraft Company, a wartime Japanese aerospace manufacturer that was broken up after 1945 and reconstituted as Fuji Heavy Industries in 1953. The Subaru automotive brand launched in 1958.
The company still has an aerospace division that builds components for Boeing and defense customers, but automobiles account for the vast majority of revenue today.
The Toyota Relationship
General Motors owned about 20 percent of Fuji Heavy from 1999 to 2005. When GM sold its stake to raise cash, Toyota bought most of the shares and expanded to about 20 percent ownership.
The partnership produced the Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ sports coupe (jointly engineered, built at Subaru's Gunma plant), the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra EVs, and shared hybrid technology.
Where Subarus Are Built
The Gunma plant complex in Ota, Japan builds the WRX, BRZ, Levorg, Forester and most other models for global export. The Yajima plant next door handles Impreza and Crosstrek.
Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA) in Lafayette, Indiana builds the Outback, Legacy, Ascent and the North American market Impreza. SIA is the only Subaru plant outside Japan.
What Makes Subaru Different
Subaru is best known for two engineering choices most rivals abandoned decades ago: horizontally opposed boxer engines and symmetrical all wheel drive as standard on nearly every model.
The boxer layout keeps the center of gravity low. Standard AWD (not optional) is a market differentiator; only the BRZ and the discontinued Impreza sedan have offered non AWD variants in recent years.
How Subaru Compares To Rivals
Subaru is small compared to Toyota or Honda but punches above its weight in North America, where its safety ratings, standard AWD and outdoor lifestyle marketing have built a loyal following. The Outback and Forester compete with Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4.
Reliability is above average but not class leading. Consumer Reports usually places Subaru mid pack among mainstream brands.
How To Trace Any Product Back To Its Manufacturer
- Read the fine print on the label. US and EU packaging law requires either the manufacturer name or a "distributed by" address. That is your starting point.
- Search the company's SEC filings. Public parent companies list subsidiaries and manufacturing sites in their 10-K annual reports.
- Check the regulator establishment number. For food, drugs, cosmetics, cars and appliances, the plant of origin can often be looked up in public regulatory databases.
- Follow the money. Press releases about acquisitions and joint ventures are the fastest way to spot who really controls a brand today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Subaru owned by Toyota? Toyota owns about 20 percent of Subaru but does not control the company. Subaru operates independently.
Where are Subarus built? Japan (Gunma) for most models, plus Lafayette, Indiana for the Outback, Legacy, Ascent and North American Impreza.
Who used to own Subaru? General Motors held about a 20 percent stake from 1999 to 2005 before selling to Toyota.
What is the connection between Subaru and Fuji Heavy? Fuji Heavy Industries was renamed Subaru Corporation in April 2017.
What This Means For The Shopper
Understanding who makes Subaru today matters for a few practical reasons. First, corporate ownership tells you who is legally responsible for the product, who handles a warranty claim, and where a safety recall would come from. Second, ownership determines the supply chain: brands owned by the same parent often share components, factories, technology and even entire platforms, which is why you sometimes see nearly identical products under different labels at very different prices.
Third, ownership tells you which alternatives are functionally the same product. Whether it is a paper mill, a contract apparel factory or an auto assembly line, the same site frequently produces for several brands at once under different specifications. That is why store brand and lower priced siblings can be a smart substitute for the marquee Subaru product when you do not need the marketing.
What To Watch Going Forward
Consumer brand ownership keeps consolidating. In the past five years alone, several major consumer brands (including some that makes Subaru) have moved between parent companies through spin offs, sales and joint ventures. Expect more of the same over the next five years as conglomerates rationalize portfolios and as private equity continues to reshape mid cap consumer brands.
If you buy from Subaru regularly and care about who profits from your purchase, it is worth checking the label, sticker or badge every year or two. Ownership changes are usually announced in trade press but rarely make consumer headlines, so most shoppers miss them until the packaging or branding gets a subtle redesign to reflect the new parent company.
Bottom Line
Subaru is an independent Japanese automaker with a 20 percent Toyota shareholding but its own products and identity. The boxer engine, standard AWD and the Lafayette, Indiana plant make Subaru genuinely different from the Toyota and Honda mainstream.