As of April 2025, we have integrated the Customer Service Division, Quality Assurance Division, and Parts & Accessories Division to establish a new Customer First Innovation Division with the aim of enhancing customer experience value, which is the source of our connection with customers through our products.

Risks and Opportunities in Communication with Customers

Providing a high and uniform level of service that meets the needs of our customers is an important initiative that has a direct impact on corporate credibility and customer satisfaction. Failure to meet customers’ expectations may result in the loss of customers for SUBARU.
On the other hand, good communication with customers serves to benefit us in many areas, such as building trust with customers, increasing brand loyalty, expanding related businesses such as car inspections, insurance, and accessories, and promoting recycling.

Providing Information for Use of SUBARU Vehicles with Safety and Peace of Mind

In order to ensure that all of our customers can use our vehicles with safety and peace of mind, all vehicles are equipped with an instruction manual. We are also working to ensure that our products’ safety features and operating procedures are easy to understand, including clearer and multilingual content. Furthermore, we are going digital in order to improve customer convenience and reduce environmental impact, including by posting vehicle manuals on our website.

Customer Consultation Service (Japan)

In order to be close to our customers and address their inquiries and difficulties, we are enhancing the methods for communication with our customers, such as call centers and websites.
At the SUBARU Customer Center, we received the highest three-star rating in the “Customer Service (by telephone)” category of the 2024 HDI Benchmark^*1, an international assessment conducted by HDI-Japan. The SUBARU Customer Center received this award for its efforts to provide customers with the information they need in a timely manner, while also valuing the time it spends with customers, and for its warm support that prioritizes building relationships with customers and enhances trust in the brand. It was also recognized for providing customers with enjoyable conversations and a sense of satisfaction by communicating the appeal of the cars and the benefits of visiting the dealerships.

*1

HDI’s rating benchmark is a system focused on evaluating the quality of a company’s customer support and call centers from the customer’s perspective. Evaluations are based on HDI’s international standards. HDI-Japan is the local Japanese subsidiary that operates this mechanism.

SUBARU Customer Center (Japan)

SUBARU Customer Center call intake rate^*2: 90.6% (FYE March 2025 results)

*2

The call intake rate is the ratio of the number of calls received by operators to the number of inquiry calls from customers.

Enhancing Customer Inquiry Touchpoints (Japanese Website Only)

In 2021, we updated the Q&A section under the Inquiries and Frequently Asked Questions page of the Japanese version of our official website in light of the recent increase in inquiries via the internet. In addition, to achieve even more convenience, we are working to regularly update the Q&A section based on search status and data from inquiries received by our Customer Center.
Furthermore, we introduced an automated response chatbot service in 2022 as a system that allows us to provide support for customer needs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We also initiated staffed chat support during the operating hours of our SUBARU Customer Center in April 2023.
We will expand our contact points with customers through various inquiry channels as well as our information provision in support of customers resolving their own issues, utilizing these to improve customer satisfaction, develop new products, and provide services.

Initiatives by the Customer Advocacy Department in the U.S.

■ Vision

The role played by Subaru of America, Inc.’s Customer Advocacy Department (CAD) is more than that of a simple customer service center.
CAD is committed to helping customers grow to like and love the community that extends across SUBARU vehicles, dealerships, and the SUBARU company as a whole.
In addition, we always strive to provide peace of mind to our customers without causing them any inconvenience, by placing the utmost importance on responding to their needs with a customer-oriented approach.

■ The CAD teams

CAD has established three specialized teams to continuously improve the experience of our customers and everyone involved with SUBARU.

1. Training Team: Provides trainings to customer center operators so that they can provide optimal support to customers.
2. Communication Team: Provides constant support to operators so that they can provide customers with the information they need at the right time.
3. Strategy Team: Explores future-oriented plans and initiatives to further nurture our customers’ love for SUBARU.

■ CAD operations

CAD responds to various inquiries from customers, SUBARU dealerships, and field staff.
These include, for example, questions about SUBARU products and services, owner information and updates, and questions about Subaru of America, Inc.’s initiatives.
As a reliable partner, we provide thoughtful support to each and every inquiry when customers need support the most, fostering their loyalty to SUBARU.

■ Inquiry form

Customer Support

■ Breakdown of inquiries to CAD

Gathering and Relaying Customer Feedback

Opinions, requests, and suggestions received from customers in the U.S., SUBARU’s largest market, as well as from those in Japan, are published on our intranet for access by relevant departments. The Customer First Innovation Division analyzes these and relays feedback for product and service development and quality improvement.

Customer Satisfaction Survey

Seeking to offer ever better service at our sales outlets, SUBARU conducts the SUBARU Customer Questionnaire directed at customers who bought a SUBARU vehicle at our dealerships. In order to take the customers’ comments and requests learned from the survey results seriously, we have established a system in which our dealerships share those comments and requests so that they can respond to customer expectations, leading to improvements.

Customer Satisfaction Survey

Note:

We started use of the shared system in FYE March 2018.

Number of Valid Responses

(FYE March)

Evaluation of Achievements in FYE March 2025

Customers who have purchased a new or used car at our dealerships are selected at random to provide evaluations. We have received responses from approximately 80% of our customers that they are satisfied with the service they receive at our dealerships, but SUBARU and SUBARU dealerships take the views of our customers seriously and will work together on activities aimed at achieving further improvements.

Human Resource Training at Dealerships

In order to be a brand that responds flexibly to diversifying customer needs and social changes, and yet remains close to the lives of its customers, SUBARU is working to improve the skills of its dealership staff.
We have established the SUBARU Academy, a facility for training human resources at our dealerships in Japan and overseas. For dealerships in Japan, it provides education for all staff members, including those in the sales and service departments. For overseas companies, it provides education for service staff members, meeting specific regional needs.
In addition to training, we support the human resource training of dealership staff through a systematic approach that includes support for self-study through e-learning, and by certifying skills through a certification system.

Collective Training/Online Training (Japan)

We offer training programs that have been optimized for dealership staff. Depending on the purpose, we offer collective training, online training, and hybrid training that combines elements of both. In addition, our training programs are designed to allow participants to learn the training content in depth by setting multiple training dates and providing periods of practical application between training sessions. We also combine prior learning through e-learning to maximize learning efficiency and effectiveness.

Use of a Learning Management System^*1 (Japan)

In FYE March 2023, we introduced a learning management system. About 10,000 staff members from 34 SUBARU dealerships in Japan are registered for approximately 1,700 units of e-learning content as of May 2025.

*1

A learning management system is a system for the integrated management of learning material delivery, course history, performance, and other information necessary for implementing e-learning

STARS Sales Professional Certification Program (Japan)

To demonstrate that staff have the ability to propose “Enjoyment and Peace of Mind” to customers and support them, SUBARU has established STARS^*2, a sales professional certification program.

*2

SUBARU Staff’s Training and Rating System, which helps salespersons develop themselves through repeated Off-JT (study), OJT (practice), and qualification tests (challenge)

Sales STARS (as of March 2025)

To determine salespersons’ certification levels, SUBARU runs tests covering areas such as knowledge, techniques, and customer service skills based on their performance on sales.

(Persons)

Service STARS (as of April 2025)

For service staff, certification levels are determined based on the tests on service operation knowledge, customer service skills, and technical capabilities.
In addition to the front counter and mechanics, we also provide skill certification for specialized operations such as those including parts, and strive to improve customer service skills throughout the entire dealership.

(Persons)

Service Staff Training (Overseas)

The SUBARU Group offers various training programs for service staff with the aim of improving service quality. In our training programs, in addition to on-site training for all SUBARU employees, we offer online training, increasing opportunities for employee participation. Moreover, SUBARU assigns external trainers certified by us to countries with annual sales of at least 1,000 SUBARU cars with the aim of further enhancing service.

Training Programs

Status of Training Programs for Trainers

Support for Human Resource Development through Secondment to SUBARU (Japan)

At SUBARU, we have established the SUBARU Service Career Development Course. In this program, SUBARU brings in staff from dealerships, developing them into human resources with a broader perspective through work experience at SUBARU and absorbing SUBARU’s approaches. Conversely, SUBARU collects field know-how from staff seconded from dealerships and utilizes it to improve various service operations in order to meet customer expectations.

Activities to improve service quality at dealerships

SUBARU and its dealerships are working in unison to improve after-sales service so that customers can continue to use their vehicles with peace of mind even after purchase.
Specifically, we are promoting the introduction of an IT-based malfunction diagnostic system, initiatives to improve service quality, and initiatives to respond quickly to recalls.

Development and Introduction of a Malfunction Diagnostic System

With the computerization, intelligence, and implementation of telematics^* in vehicles, malfunction diagnostic systems are becoming increasingly important each year.
In addition, proper repairs with proper diagnostics not only ensure customer safety and peace of mind, but also reduce the workload of mechanics and energy consumption.

*

Telematics refers to a system that uses communication technology to provide real-time information on vehicle location, driving conditions, and driving data

Initiatives to Enhance Service Quality

Providing a high and uniform level of service all across the world is an important requirement for maintaining confidence in the SUBARU brand.
SUBARU has established clear service quality standards and works with dealerships in each country to continuously monitor local conditions, thereby establishing a system for improvement and promoting the maintenance and enhancement of service quality.

Rapid Response to Vehicles Subject to Recall

When a decision is made to implement a recall, we engage as the entire SUBARU Group. We have a system in place to ensure smoothness across the entire recall process, including notification to authorities, contacting customers, and repair.
In addition, we work closely with dealerships in each country to ensure that repairs are completed quickly and reliably by supplying repair parts in a timely manner.

Responding to Customer Needs in Diverse Markets

The SUBARU Group is introducing products tailored to each local environment in collaboration with local dealerships in all regions around the world.
In recent years, we have introduced the Solterra BEV in Europe, where electrification is advancing, and have been expanding into other regions such as Oceania and Asia. In addition, starting in 2025, we plan to launch a new strong hybrid model of the Forester globally in response to growing market demand. Going forward, we will continue to identify the needs of each market and introduce the most suitable products to each region, while working closely with our customers to contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral society.

Popularizing Welfare Vehicles

SUBARU aspires toward sharing the happiness and freedom of living through cars for everybody. As such, SUBARU is working to popularize welfare vehicles so that people with physical handicaps and the elderly can travel by car in comfort and with peace of mind.
SUBARU started selling welfare vehicles in 1980, now well known as the “TRANSCARE series,” including the Chiffon and Samber Dias minicars. Going forward, we will continue to take actions so that we can provide “Enjoyment and Peace of Mind” to more of our customers.

Welfare Vehicles: TRANSCARE | SUBARU (Japanese version only)

Initiatives for Customers in the Aerospace Business

In the Aerospace Business, we continue efforts to swiftly resolve issues with customers after product delivery in order to maintain the continued operating condition of the aircraft we supply to the Japan Self-Defense Forces, government agencies, and others. We periodically visit customers and take questionnaires in order to confirm the effectiveness of this initiative. Our questionnaires evaluate various aspects of our services, including product quality, service, documentation, emergency response, and on-site support, on a five-step scale. Here, we are working to sincerely address customer opinions and further improve our quality and services.
Also, SUBARU’s maintenance, inspection, and technical staff involved in manufacturing visit the land, sea, and air units of the Japan Self-Defense Forces across Japan that use our products. They exchange information on use and maintenance, develop a better understanding of the operations, and communicate extensively, leading to the improvement of their work.
Going forward, we will continue to listen carefully to customer requests and work to deliver happiness to our customers through the maintenance and operation of SUBARU products and services.

Note:

We compile evaluations for each category from customers and rate them on a five-point scale.