Subaru Warns There Are Only 5,000 New Vehicles Left For U.S. Customers

A new report from Automotive News says In May, Subaru warned that its U.S. retailers have a record low new car inventory of about 5,000 vehicles left. Last month we reported Subaru of America had only a three-day supply of new 2022 Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, and other new models to sell to its U.S. customers.

In the U.S., Subaru has had the tightest inventory of new cars all year of any automaker because of microchip shortages and supply chain issues. Subaru shut down its Japan factory five times in 2022, where they manufacture the 2022 Forester compact SUV, 2022 Crosstrek subcompact SUV, BRZ sports coupe, and WRX sports sedan.

photo credit: Competition Subaru

Subaru Corporation CEO Tomomi Nakamura said that Subaru's current U.S. inventory level is extremely low, around 5,000 to 6,000 units. "That's basically about a five-day supply for the U.S. market. Next year (2023), we will have to rebuild this inventory to normal levels. And we think that's going to take about a year, through gradual buildup."

The refreshed 2022 Forester and hot-selling 2022 Crosstrek have been the hardest to find new Subaru models in North America. Customers who want the new all-wheel-drive Forester Wilderness models are ordering them from Subaru retailers and are willing to wait months to get one.

photo credit: Competition Subaru

When will things improve for U.S. customers?

There's good news on the horizon. Subaru Corporation gave its forecast for 2023, and it's good news for customers in the U.S. looking for its top three models and the hardest to find; Forester compact SUV, Crosstrek subcompact SUV, and Outback midsize SUV.

Subaru projects consolidated global vehicle sales of 940,000 units (up 28.1 percent from 2022)." Subaru expects shortages of parts and the supply chain issues will improve, and there will be significantly more new 2023 Forester, Crosstrek, and Outback SUVs produced for U.S. customers next year.

Subaru will start building its own electric vehicles in-house

As new car supplies shrink, Subaru Corporation isn't standing still. Subaru CEO Nakamura announced two weeks ago that the automaker will add a dedicated in-house EV assembly plant in Japan by 2027. Automotive News (by subscription) said Subaru Corporation would make a 984.4 million dollar investment in electrification over the next five years.

2022 Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, and other new models will be hard to find through the end of this year. Inventory of the 2023 models should improve. 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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