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Subaru of America has a disappointing June because they are running out of cars for its retailers to sell. Customers would buy more if they had them. Subaru reported 42,877 vehicle sales for June 2021, a 20.5 percent decrease compared to June 2020 due to reduced inventory resulting from the global microchip shortage.
The 2021 Subaru Forester (-54.8 percent) and Crosstrek (-37.4 percent) took the biggest hit among the top-selling SUV models. The Impreza, built in Lafayette, Indiana, was also a big loser, down 51.1 percent.
It's our guess, Subaru of Indiana Automotive, where the automaker manufactures the 2022 Outback, Ascent, Impreza, and Legacy, ramped up new Outback production in May. The Outback midsize SUV was the only SUV in the lineup, increasing the month over the previous year.
The 2021 Outback was up 59.9 percent, with 16,394 models delivered to customers compared with 10,250 in June 2020. Subaru only sold 8,813 2021 Forester compact SUVs in June. Subaru only sold 6,415 Crosstrek subcompact SUVs last month because of limited inventory.
Subaru Report checked with a large Subaru retailer near Denver, and a source told us customers are now buying cars that are still in transit from Japan because they are running out of new Subaru models to sell. Most are the 2021 Forester and 2021 Crosstrek SUVs.
When will more models arrive?
Subaru has the lowest inventory of any automaker in the U.S. now. Customers could see the 2022 Forester model change and 2022 Crosstrek hard to find until August. A report from News 5 in Cleveland says a Subaru retailer told them, "Subaru assures us that probably by August we'll be back to normal levels."
This week, Subaru Report found the retailer near Denver had one 2021 Subaru Forester model on its lot for sale. Unfortunately, the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek is also manufactured at the Gunma plant, and new models are scarce. We found one 2021 Crosstrek on the Subaru retailer's lot, and it had a "SOLD" sticker on the car's windshield.
Subaru of America has plenty of 2021 Subaru Outback models to sell customers, and the 2022 Outback has already begun to arrive. Subaru Report found two 2022 Outback midsize SUVs on the lot for customers this week.
June was a lean month for customers looking for the 2021 Forester and Crosstrek SUVs. Subaru reports a 20 percent drop last month, and July could be worse. Stay tuned.
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Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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