Subaru sales set June record

With a vehicle manufactured in Lafayette leading the way, Subaru of America Inc. has posted a record June sales report.

The company sold 21,601 vehicles last month -- a 16 percent increase over the 18,620 units it sold in June 2009.

The top-performing Outback line -- produced at the Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. plant -- sold 6,554 units last month. That represents a whopping 76 percent increase over the same month in 2009.

"June was a great month for us. Our inventories are very tight and we still set a record for the month," said Tim Colbeck, senior vice president of sales at Subaru of America. "Demand for our products continues to be strong, and our retail network is working hard to sell efficiently."

According to a report released Thursday by the parent company, sales of other vehicles built at SIA show:

•The Legacy line experienced almost a 1 percent increase, from 2,984 units in June 2009 to 3,006 last month.

•The Tribeca recorded a 78 percent decline, to 175 vehicles in June after selling 784 units in the same month last year.

Among Subaru vehicles produced in Japan, June sales of the Forester model increased by 25 percent, to 7,607 last month. Sales of the Impreza line fell by 16 percent, to 4,259 units.

For the first six months of 2010, Subaru reported 125,960 units sold. That represents a 35 percent increase over the 93,306 vehicles sold during the January-June period of 2009.

Among SIA-built models, sales of the Outback soared by 117 percent, to 41,147 units; and sales of the Legacy rose by 50 percent, to 18,993.

"Now that we are halfway through 2010, the Subaru franchise is clearly on pace to establish another record-setting sales year," said Thomas Doll, executive vice president with Subaru of America. "This has been the best first six months in the history of the company, and we are proud of the contribution from all members of the Subaru team."