OREANDA-NEWS. Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the maker of Subaru automobiles, announced that cumulative production of Subaru vehicles in Japan has reached 20 million units since the start of production in 1958.

Today FHI held a ceremony at Gunma Yajima Plant which was attended by many honored guests and alumni to celebrate this accomplishment. FHI President Yasuyuki Yoshinaga spoke, "This remarkable achievement of 20 million-unit domestic production would not have been possible without our esteemed customers and the years of diligent work by our employees, past and present. I am humbled and sincerely grateful. From here, we enter a new phase of our adventure, a new challenge. We will aim for further improvement in every aspect of our operation, in safety, quality and productivity."

Subaru began domestic production in 1958 at its then Gunma Isesaki Plant with the Subaru 360 minicar. As production models and units increased, FHI set up operations at Gunma Main Plant and Gunma Yajima Plant, both located in Ota city of Gunma prefecture. It also established Gunma Oizumi Plant to manufacture engines, transmissions and other automotive parts. In the earlier days, production models included mini-vehicles, Subaru 1000, Leone and Justy and later moved on to Legacy, Impreza and Forester, among others. In these 56 years, the production total accumulated to 20 million units.

Through the Subaru brand statement "Confidence in Motion", FHI will continue to pursue engineering excellence to assure "Enjoyment and Peace of Mind" to customers worldwide.