Core model will remain on sale here, local distributor assures.

ASSURANCE has quickly come from Subaru’s national distributor that its sales stalwart Outback model will remain in local sales circulation despite the factory in Japan deciding on a huge production change.

However, the brand’s determination to end sale of the model in Japan soon has raised speculation about where the next model will be sourced.

Subaru in Japan has announced that the current-generation Outback, which is a sales leader for Subaru NZ in traditionally commanding more than 60 percent of local annual volume, will be “the last model produced in Japan” with orders in its domestic market due to cease on March 31, 2025.

New Zealand market Outbacks come from Japan. The only other place where the car is made is the United States, but that effort is simply to serve North America.

Auckland-based Subaru New Zealand said today that the parent’s announcement is purely for Japan only. 

"In relation to the Outback announcement, it is for the Japanese market only and will not impact the production of the Outback for the New Zealand market,” said a statement attributed to Inchcape New Zealand general manager Kym Mellow.

“The Outback continues to serve the needs of our customers and will remain a key model in Subaru’s SUV range in New Zealand.”

A top Australian motoring media website says the notice Subaru Japan has placed on its domestic market web page that the “current model of the Legacy Outback will be the last model produced in Japan” suggests the decision could impact other markets.

However, there is confusion as there is also a report, this time from the vaunted industry portal Automotive News, that Subaru will move production of the Outback from the United States to Japan for the North American market.

This is to allow its Lafayette, Indiana, plant to switch to production of the latest Forester mid-size SUV and future electric vehicles from 2025. 

The new Forester is major departure from the current one seen her and is already on sale in the United States, which has long been a priority market for Subaru. 

It has yet to hit other markets, Japan included, and is not expected to be available to NZ until mid-2025. A future variant, with a hybrid drivetrain that is much more advanced than the current car’s, is out in 2026. There is talk this will be the same as one notified by Subaru Japan for the smaller XV, with a electric range of more than 100 kilometres and also a total combined range of over 1000kms.

The Drive.com.au website reminds Subaru currently builds the Outback in Japan for other global markets – including New Zealand and Australia – and in the United States for North America where the Outback was the brand’s top-selling model in 2023.