39°55′20″N75°02′46″W / 39.9223326°N 75.0460762°W /39.9223326; -75.0460762
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| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1968; 58 years ago (1968); inBala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Tadashi “Tady” Yoshida[1](Chairman of the Board andCEO, Subaru of America) Jeffrey A. Walters,[2](President,Chief Operating Officer, Subaru of America) |
| Products | Subaru vehicles in the United States market |
Number of employees | 5,900[3] |
| Parent | Subaru Corporation |
| Website | subaru.com |
Subaru of America, Inc. (commonly abbreviated asSOA), based inCamden, New Jersey, is theUnited States–based distributor ofSubaru's brand vehicles. SOA is a subsidiary ofSubaru Corporation ofJapan. The company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 600 dealers throughout the United States. SOA also plays a minor role in the design of vehicles for the U.S. market, working with Subaru Corporation and Subaru Research and Development to help convey American consumer preferences.
In 1967,Malcolm Bricklin approached Subaru with the idea of bringing the tinySubaru 360 to the United States. After a great deal of regulatory red tape and negotiation, Bricklin made a deal with Subaru. Bricklin formed Subaru of America, Inc. to sell Subaru franchises and later brought in Harvey Lamm as the COO.
Subaru of America established the Eastern Division in 1968 inBala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania at 555 City Line Avenue, and the Western Division at 1000 West Coast Hwy,Newport Beach, California.[4] The headquarters later moved toPennsauken, New Jersey and thenCherry Hill, New Jersey. In 1986, it was fully acquired by Fuji Heavy Industries (now named Subaru Corporation).
In 1989, Fuji Heavy Industries and then-partner Isuzu opened a joint factory inLafayette, Indiana, calledSubaru-Isuzu Automotive, Inc., or SIA, which initially manufactured theSubaru Legacy andIsuzu Rodeo. In 2001, Isuzu sold its stake in the plant to FHI for $1 due to flagging sales and it was renamedSubaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. SIA has been designated a backyard wildlifeHabitat by theNational Wildlife Federation, and has achieved a zero-landfill production designation. SOA is SIA's largest customer, being the sole distributor in the United States for SIA produced vehicles, although SIA also ships vehicles to Canada and various other countries for sale by other Subaru Affiliates and independent distributors. SOA also utilizes SIA's two mile test track and off-road course for dealer incentive programs and training.
In 2018, Subaru of America was covered in an Eneref Institute report examining the use of natural interior daylight at one of the company's U.S. retail showrooms.[5]
Subaru built a new 250,000 square foot headquarters inCamden, New Jersey and relocated there in 2018. In May 2019 demolition started on the previous Subaru building in Cherry Hill.[6]
In the United States, Subaru vehicles have been associated with being popular withlesbians. Subaru of America's marketing strategy from 1993, at a time when very few celebrities wereout as LGBT and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" andDefense of Marriage Act had just passed. Subaru was at the time marketing more towards niche groups such as skiers and kayakers. Asall-wheel drive was becoming standard on all Subaru models, when looking for people willing to pay a premium for all-wheel drive, four possible core groups were identified, who at the time were responsible for half of Subaru's US sales: teachers and educators, health-care professionals, IT professionals, and outdoorsy types. A fifth group was found - single women living in places likeNorthampton, Massachusetts andPortland, Oregon, well known meccas of LGBT community. The lesbian Subaru customers liked that the cars were "good for outdoor trips, and good for hauling stuff without being as large as a truck or SUV, fitting them without being too flashy". Some Subaru ads for that reason have featured double entendres with LGBT-related terms. In addition, Subaru of America has actively supported theLGBT community, such as supporting the Rainbow Card providing dedicated benefits to the community, and has been credited with treating its LGBT customers as "people, not consumers".[7][8][9][10][11][12][13] In a Car Talk e-mail nominations survey, Forester and Outback were ranked as #2 and #1, respectively, of "The Ultimate Lesbian Cars".[14]
Subaru cars available in the United States, which are sold by SOA:
With the rise of rally racing, and theimport scene in the U.S., the introduction of the highly anticipatedSubaru Impreza WRX in 2001 was successful in bringing high performance, AWD compact cars into the sports car mainstream. Subaru supplies afactory-backed team forRally America, and has won the driver's title in five of the seasons.[15]
Starting in 2006, Subaru of America sponsored the Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) with aSubaru Legacy 2.5 GT Spec-B in theGrand-Am Street Tuner class. In 2010, SRRT campaigns a WRX STI in the Grand Sport class.[16]
