Subaru to stop production of Legacy model
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Subaru of America Inc. plans to end production of its Legacy model next spring at the end of the 2025 model year, the automaker announced Tuesday.
The Legacy, which was designed for the American market, became the first Subaru manufactured in the United States when the Japanese company began production at its North American plant in Lafayette, Indiana, in 1989.
The Lafayette plant has churned out six generations of Legacy models since its introduction, totaling U.S. sales of 1.3 million. The Legacy line originally consisted of sedan and wagon models, but the Legacy Wagon eventually became the foundation of Subaru’s top-selling Outback model.
“Though the Legacy is the longest-running Subaru model line, its discontinuation reflects market shifts from passenger cars to SUVs and crossovers and Subaru’s transition to electrified and fully electric vehicles,” Subaru said in a press release. “Including the Solterra EV, which debuted in the 2023 model year, Subaru Corp., the parent company of Subaru of America Inc., previously announced it would produce eight EV models by the 2028 calendar year.”
Subaru sold 25,510 Legacy models in the United States in 2023, up 13% from the previous year, according to Subaru records. But the automaker had seven other models with better sales last year, including the Outback (161,814), Crosstrek (159,193) and Forester (152,566).
The Legacy model accounted for 4,398 sales in the first quarter, putting sales well behind last year’s pace.
Annual Legacy sales topped 87,000 in 2005 and exceeded 65,000 in 2016, but have fallen in six of the last seven years.
Subaru said the starting price for the 2025 Legacy will be $24,895, the same as the 2024 model. New models are expected to arrive at dealers this spring.
The Lafayette plant, which is Subaru’s only plant outside of Japan, employs more than 5,600 workers. In addition to the Legacy, it produces Outback, Crosstrek and Ascent models in Lafayette.