2024 Subaru Crosstrek made its U.S. production debut in Lafayette this month
LAFAYETTE, Ind. − For the first time in U.S. history, Crosstrek production has begun through Subaru of Indiana Automotive.
Crosstrek is the small SUV product from Subaru, according to Scott Brand, executive vice president of SIA.
"It provides the capability for a little bit more active lifestyle," Brand said. "It's got 8.7 inches of ground clearance, which allow the customer to go off road a little bit. For instance, you've got a canoe, a kayak, bicycles and you want to get to the trail, you don't necessarily want to drive your car on a gravel road, a bumpy road. ... This gives you full access to all of those locations."
Brand said that Subaru overall, and specifically the Crosstrek, are the best of both worlds in terms of driving.
"The good thing about Subaru is that the design of the vehicle allows it to drive like a normal car, with just as good of a ride, just as quiet (and) has all of the other amenities most people enjoy in a regular sedan or other type of vehicle."
The first of the third generation 2024 Crosstrek was driven off the product line at 2 p.m. on May 9.
The Crosstrek had its world debut overseas in 2012, and quickly became one of Subaru's most popular models, according to the company. Subaru has sold more than a million Crosstrek vehicles in 11 years, making it the fastest selling Subaru product.
Over the past 11 years, Subaru has worked on bringing the Crosstrek to the United States.
"We always want to look at where we produce vehicles to be best aligned with where the market is," Brand said. "And as the product became more popular, we saw the opportunity to bring it to the United States.
"It's the number one selling car in Subaru's lineup in 2022. So having it here in the states allows us to produce it and deliver it to the customer more efficiently."
Craig Koven, manager of communications and external relations for SIA, said around 140-150 Crosstrek vehicles have been produced at the Lafayette SIA facility so far. These vehicles will be available to customers later this summer.
Margaret Christopherson is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email her at mchristopherson@jconline.com and follow her on Twitter @MargaretJC2.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: More than 140 Subaru Crosstrek models produced in Lafayette so far
