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After a plant closure in Japan due to more supply chain issues, Subaru Corporation restarted production at its automobile manufacturing facilities in Japan today, May 2, after being idle for two days, on April 28 and April 29, 2022.
The Japanese automaker manufactures two of Subaru of America's top-selling models; the refreshed 2022 Subaru Forester compact SUV and 2022 Subaru Crosstrek subcompact SUV, at the Gunma plant in Japan. The shutdown will now make delays for the two models even longer.
photo credit: Schumacher Subaru
The U.S. spec 2022 WRX performance sedan and BRZ sports coupe are also manufactured at the main automobile plant in Gunma and Yakima plant. The engine and transmission plant in Oizumi was also idle for two days.
A report from Nikkei Asia says the war in Ukraine and Shanghai's COVID lockdown are wreaking havoc on supply chains. Japanese automakers have been unable to secure parts needed to resume regular operation after the Japanese public holiday runs from April 29 to May 8.
photo credit: Schumacher Subaru
This is the fifth plant shutdown for Subaru's plants in Japan already this year, and there could be more before the end of the year.
How many vehicles were affected by the plant closure?
Subaru Corporation did not announce the number of 2022 Forester, Crosstrek, WRX, and BRZ models affected by the recent plant shutdown. With the microchip shortage and supply chain issues, the number of new cars produced at the plants is down considerably. If things were normal, Subaru would produce about 2500 vehicles per day at the main Gunma plant and its Yajima plant.
Does it affect Outback, Ascent, Impreza, and Legacy?
The plant in Lafayette, Indiana, where Subaru manufactures the 2022 Outback, Ascent, Impreza, and Legacy, could also be affected by the Japanese plant shutdown. The Outback, Impreza, and Legacy have 40 percent of their parts shipped from Japan. The Ascent 3-Row family hauler gets 30 percent of its parts from Japan.
What does it mean for new car shoppers?
Subaru still has the tightest new model inventory of any automaker at three days supply. The day's supply refers to the number of days needed to sell all vehicles in stock, based on the previous month's daily selling rate. The inventory level is the unit count of new cars at Subaru of America retailers, factory lots, ports of entry, and in transit from Subaru's factory in Gunma, Japan, and Lafayette, Indiana.
What does it mean for customers this spring and summer?
The refreshed 2022 Forester compact SUV, new rugged Forester Wilderness trim level, and number three-selling 2022 Crosstrek are already hard to find and delays will be even longer now for the top-selling SUVs.
With few new models on retailers' lots, customers can order a new 2022 Forester, 2022 Crosstrek, and other models through Subaru's ordering system. It’s already taking four-to-five months to get the new models and now delays could be longer.
See the report below about Subaru of America raising prices on all models except for one model, with the 2022 Subaru Forester, Outback, and Crosstrek getting the highest price hikes.
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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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Photo credit: main image Schumacher Subaru
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