, or
FHI, is a
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese company which traces its origins to the
Nakajima Aircraft CompanyThe Nakajima Aircraft Company was a prominent Japanese aircraft manufacturer throughout World War II....
(est. 1917), which was the leader in aircraft manufacture for the Japanese military during WWII. At the end of World War II, Nakajima was broken up by the Allied Occupation government, and by 1950 part of the separated operation was already known as Fuji Heavy Industries.
FHI was incorporated on July 15, 1953 when five Japanese companies, known as Fuji Kogyo, Fuji Jidosha Kogyo, Omiya Fuji Kogyo, Utsunomiya Sharyo and Tokyo Fuji Sangyo, joined to form one of Japan's largest manufacturers of transportation equipment.
, or
FHI, is a
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese company which traces its origins to the
Nakajima Aircraft CompanyThe Nakajima Aircraft Company was a prominent Japanese aircraft manufacturer throughout World War II....
(est. 1917), which was the leader in aircraft manufacture for the Japanese military during WWII. At the end of World War II, Nakajima was broken up by the Allied Occupation government, and by 1950 part of the separated operation was already known as Fuji Heavy Industries.
FHI was incorporated on July 15, 1953 when five Japanese companies, known as Fuji Kogyo, Fuji Jidosha Kogyo, Omiya Fuji Kogyo, Utsunomiya Sharyo and Tokyo Fuji Sangyo, joined to form one of Japan's largest manufacturers of transportation equipment. Currently, FHI employs more than 15,000 people worldwide, operates nine manufacturing plants and sells products in 100 countries. It currently makes
Subaruis the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Group .Subaru is internationally known for their use of boxer engines in most of their vehicles. The company decided to use all wheel drive in most international markets as standard equipment in...
brand cars, and its
aerospaceAerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
division makes parts for
BoeingThe Boeing Company is a major aerospace and defense corporation, founded by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Its international headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois, since 2001...
, helicopters for the Japanese Self Defense Force,
RaytheonRaytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in defense systems and defense and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
Hawker, and
Eclipse AviationEclipse Aviation Corporation was the Albuquerque, New Mexico-based manufacturer of the Eclipse 500 very light jet and also at one time proposed developing the Eclipse 400 single engined jet....
business jets.
In the United States, Fuji Heavy Industries owns Subaru of America, Inc.,
Subaruis the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Group .Subaru is internationally known for their use of boxer engines in most of their vehicles. The company decided to use all wheel drive in most international markets as standard equipment in...
Research & Development, Inc., and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. In 2003, the company adopted the logo of its
Subaruis the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Group .Subaru is internationally known for their use of boxer engines in most of their vehicles. The company decided to use all wheel drive in most international markets as standard equipment in...
division as its worldwide corporate symbol.
Shareholders
From 1968 until 1999, FHI was 20% owned by Nissan, who acquired the stake in 1968 during a period of government-ordered merging of Japanese auto industry firms in order to improve competitiveness under the administration of
Prime MinisterThe is the usual English-language term used for the head of government of Japan, although the literal translation of the Japanese name for the office is Minister for the general administration of the Cabinet...
Eisaku Satōwas a Japanese politician and the 61st, 62nd and 63rd Prime Minister of Japan, elected on November 9, 1964, and re-elected on February 17, 1967, and January 14, 1970, serving until July 7, 1972. He was the longest serving prime minister in the history of Japan....
. During their ownership, Nissan was primarily interested in its bus manufacturing division and lent automaking expertise to Subaru. Upon Nissan's acquisition by
RenaultRenault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, buses, tractors, and trucks. Due to its alliance with Nissan, it is currently the world's fourth largest automaker. Headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, Renault owns the Romanian automaker Automobile Dacia and the Korean automaker Renault...
, its 20% stake was sold to General Motors, but GM announced on October 6, 2005 that it will sell 8.4% of the company to Toyota and disposed of its remaining share, 11.6% of the company, on the market.
On April 10, 2008, Toyota increased its stake in FHI to 16.7% and announced the end of
minicarKei car, K-car, or , is a Japanese category of small automobiles, including passenger cars, vans, and pickup trucks. They are designed to exploit local tax and insurance relaxations, and in more rural areas are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is available for the...
production at its facility in
Gunma Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the northwest corner of the Kantō region on Honshū island. Its capital is Maebashi.- History :The remains of a Paleolithic man were found at Iwajuku, Gunma Prefecture, in the early 20th century and there is a public museum there.Japan was without horses until...
. Daihatsu, a subsidiary of Toyota, will instead supply the cars to FHI.
Divisions
FHI has four main divisions:
- The automobile
An automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
division, Subaruis the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Group .Subaru is internationally known for their use of boxer engines in most of their vehicles. The company decided to use all wheel drive in most international markets as standard equipment in...
, has been manufacturing and selling automobiles since 1954 and now has 1,970 dealerA car dealership or vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new cars and/or used cars at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. It employs automobile salespeople to do the selling...
s in 100 countries.
- The aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
division is a contractor for the Japan Defense AgencyThe is one of cabinet-level ministries of the Japanese government. As a result of a law enacted on December 15, 2006, it became a ministry on January 9, 2007. Prior to that, it was the Japan Defense Agency ...
and markets and sells both commercial and defense-related aircraftAn aircraft is a vehicle which is able to fly by being supported by the air, or in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil An aircraft is a vehicle which is able to fly by being supported...
, helicopterA helicopter is an aircraft that is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors, each rotor consisting of two or more rotor blades. Helicopters are classified as rotorcraft or rotary-wing aircraft to distinguish them from fixed-wing aircraft because the helicopter achieves lift with the...
s and target dronesAn unmanned aerial vehicle is an aircraft that flies without a human crew. Their largest uses are in military applications. To distinguish UAVs from missiles, a UAV is defined as a reusable, uncrewed vehicle capable of controlled, sustained, level flight and powered by a jet or reciprocating...
. This division used to build the Fuji FA200 Aero SubaruThe Fuji FA-200 Aero Subaru is a single-engine piston-powered airplane built by Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd. of Japan.-Design and development:...
and is currently participating in the Airbus A380The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. The largest passenger airliner in the world, the A380 made its maiden flight on 27 April 2005 from Toulouse, France, and made its first commercial flight on 25...
, Boeing 777The Boeing 777 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The world's largest twinjet and commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven", the aircraft can carry between 301 and 368 passengers in a three-class configuration and has a range from...
, Boeing 787The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a mid-sized, wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner currently under development by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Its maximum seating capacity in a one-class configuration is between 290 to 330 passengers depending on variant...
, Hawker 4000 and Eclipse 500The Eclipse Aviation 500 is a small six-seat business jet aircraft that was manufactured by Eclipse Aviation.The Eclipse 500 became the first of a new class of Very Light Jets when the first jet was delivered in late 2006...
programs, and supplies parts for Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has nine variants with the -600, -700, -800 and -900 currently in production.Originally envisioned in...
, Boeing 747The Boeing 747 is a widebody commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet". It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first widebody ever produced...
and Boeing 767The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twinjet airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the 767 can carry between 181 and 375 passengers, and have a range of 5,200 to 6,590 nautical miles depending on variant and seating configuration. The Boeing 767 has been...
. A StockThe A60 Stock is a class of sub-surface train run on the London Underground, and was built in 1960 by Cravens of Sheffield for the extension of the electrification to Amersham. The A62 Stock is a batch of almost identical units, built in 1962 for Uxbridge services...
for London UndergroundThe London Underground, Underground or Tube is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire in the UK. The first section opened in 1863, and was the first underground railway system in the world, and, starting in...
Rolling Stock.
- The industrial products division manufactures and sells commercial engines, pumps and generators under the Subaru-Robin brand in North America, and as Robin everywhere else. Fuji's industrial products division, began manufacturing "Star" engines for Polaris Industries
Polaris Industries is a snowmobile and ATV manufacturer, based in Medina, Minnesota, USA. The company also manufactures motorcycles through its Victory Motorcycles subsidiary....
snowmobiles in 1968 but the cooperation ended in 1998 when Polaris Industries started to build their own brand new Liberty two-stroke engines, but Fuji remains a Polaris supplier of pistons to this day. Fuji is a partner with Polaris, owning a percentage of Polaris stock. Fuji has provided more than 2 million engines used in Polaris snowmobiles, ATVs, watercraft and utility vehicles.
- The eco technology division manufactures and sells garbage trucks, robot
A robot is a virtual or mechanical artificial agent. In practice, it is usually an electro-mechanical machine which is guided by computer or electronic programming, and is thus able to do tasks on its own...
sweeper, and wind turbineA wind turbine is a rotating machine which converts the kinetic energy of wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used directly by machinery, such as a pump or grinding stones, the machine is usually called a windmill...
s.
- FHI discontinued the production of bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. A bus seats a maximum of 8 to 300 passengers...
es and railroad carA railroad car or railway carriage is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
s in 2003.
The company's four divisions all share their technological advancements with one another, which has made FHI a leader in innovation. In particular, they apply a great deal of their aircraft technology to their automotive division, the most notable example being the horizontally-opposed boxer engines used in all modern Subaru automobiles.
Leadership
Past presidents
- 1953-1956 — Kenji Kita
- 1956-1963 — Takao Yoshida
- 1963-1970 — Nobuo Yokota
- 1970-1978 — Eiichi Ohara
- 1978-1985 — Sadamichi Sasaki
- 1985-1990 — Toshihiro Tajima
- 1990-1996 — Isamu Kawai
- 1996-2001 — Takeshi Tanaka
- 2001-2006 — Kyoji Takenaka
- 2006-present — Ikuo Mori
Bus models
- R13
- R14
- R15
- 5B/5E
- R1/R2/R3
- HD1/HD2/HD3
- Double-decker
- R16
- R17
- R18
- R21
External links