Subaru's Indiana Factory Has Bald Eagles, Coyotes, And Snapping Turtles Living On The Property

Whether it's the Crosstrek, Forester, or the 2026 Outback that's fit for Bigfoot, there's a lot to like about Subaru's Wilderness models. But it turns out that the automaker's focus on the wilderness extends beyond its vehicles to the plants where they're built. In 2003, the company's U.S. manufacturing facility — Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA) — became the first auto plant in the country to be certified as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.

As a result, native animals can enjoy an environment that's clean, safe, and ready to meet their needs. Bald eagles, great blue herons, vultures, and great horned owls are only a few of the birds you can see soaring overhead there, with coyotes, deer, snapping turtles, and other creatures also making their homes in the 832 acres of woods and water surrounding the plant.

Nor is this SIA's only green effort. Now, you do have to take automaker claims with a little sodium chloride, but Subaru further says that SIA was the first automotive assembly plant in the U.S. to earn "zero landfill" status. In other words, none of the waste produced by the plant is sent to a landfill; it's recycled or reused instead. In the stamping shop, for instance, leftover metal pieces were considered unfit for anything but scrap. Now the same metal is used in the manufacturing of other, smaller components. Additional environmentally friendly milestones from SIA include being the first U.S. auto plant to eliminate smoking and the first to be certified for energy-management expertise under both ISO 14001 and 50001.

Along with building up the brand's green cred, SIA has built plenty of Subaru vehicles over the years as well — and some from other automakers, too. Right off the bat, the plant was originally called Subaru-Isuzu Automotive, reflecting the fact that it was a team effort between the two companies. That explains why the first vehicles off the line in 1989 were the Subaru Legacy sedan and an Isuzu pickup. Plus, even after the facility broke up with Isuzu in 2003, it produced Toyota Camry models from 2007 through 2016.

Looking at the Subaru side of the ledger, SIA has manufactured vehicles like the Baja, Impreza, Tribeca, and Outback. As for the current all-Subaru SIA lineup, that's led by a trio of the brand's products. Among them are the three-row Subaru Ascent, which some people may have forgotten about. The Subaru Forester is another SIA product. Moreover, all Forester trims are made in Indiana, including the next-gen hybrid edition that premiered in 2025. It combines much of your favorite Forester content with a high-efficiency powertrain that can post an EPA line of 35 mpg city/34 mpg highway/35 mpg combined. Even better, a Forester Hybrid Wilderness trim is expected for the 2027 model year.

Also in the mix from SIA are the gas-only Subaru Crosstrek models — hybrid versions are manufactured at the automaker's facility in Gunma, Japan. For what it's worth, the Gunma plant gets in on the green action by using electricity produced without greenhouse gas emissions.