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Subaru comes out on the right side of history, stands up against Indiana law

Well, I may as just get it out there straight up and let some percentage of you dear readers take your shots in the comments below: I find Indiana's new "religious freedom" law that opens the door to discrimination against gay people to be reprehensible, along with all the other laws across the country that do the same thing but with different wording. So I was thrilled today when Subaru, which has a plant in Lafayette, IN, came out and said it finds the new law pretty awful too. The statement, issued by Michael McHale, the company's director of corporate communications, says that while the company recognizes that each state gets to decide its own laws, the automaker does "not agree with any legislation that allows for discrimination, or any behavior or act that promotes any form of discrimination. Furthermore, we do not allow discrimination in our own operations, including operations in the state of Indiana." Although McHale told Autoblog Subaru is not considering leaving Indiana, the newly passed legislation has prompted others to say they want to take their business elsewhere. The NCAA said Monday it is taking a look at the law and trying to determine if it will be able to continue holding large sporting events in the state, according to ESPN. In a piece in The Washington Post, Apple's Tim Cook warned that these kinds of laws are being passed in dozens of states across the country and they are bad for business. He spotlighted one proposed law in Texas that would strip pension benefits from clerks who issue marriage licenses to gay people, even if the Supreme Court declares gay marriage legal. "Opposing discrimination takes courage," he wrote. "With the lives and dignity of so many people at stake, it's time for all of us to be courageous."

Subaru will cap sales, introduce US-only SUV and PHEV

With Subaru's meteoric growth over the past few years, it seems like the company would double down on the success and expand. However, the Japanese brand has announced that it will take the opposite approach. Rather than continually increasing global deliveries, the automaker will instead cap annual volume to between 1.03 million and 1.1 million units, according to Automotive News. While the strategy will keep Subaru's niche status, the brand's lineup certainly won't stagnate. After abundant rumors, a US-only, seven-seat crossover will eventually be assembled in Indiana, and Impreza production will reportedly move there in 2016. In addition, the company will launch a plug-in hybrid around 2018, but it'll only be sold where necessary to meet zero-emissions requirements. While the Japanese brand is widely known for crossovers and wagons, Subaru isn't forgetting its performance fans, either. Fuji Heavy Industries President Yasuyuki Yoshinaga confirmed yet again that a second-gen BRZ is under development. "We have already agreed with Toyota we will do a full model change. We have not decided when it will be introduced," he said to Automotive News. Subaru has been considering whether to grow for years, but the planning eventually favored maximizing the current factories. For example, Subaru decided not to build a plant in China but has chosen to boost capacity at the line in Lafayette, IN. Yoshinaga sees the strategy as a way to maintain the brand's soul. "Many companies try to be bigger or sell more vehicles. If Subaru does the same thing, we will lose our characteristics," he said to Automotive News. Related Video:

Next Subaru WRX and STI to go sedan only; reveal headed for LA

After a serious bit of teasing at the 2013 New York Auto Show, Subaru might be finally preparing to pull the sheets off of the production versions of the new WRX and STI. The venue, according to Automotive News, will be the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Besides that tasty bit of info, AN has a number of other interesting ideas about the 2015 WRX.
If you've been a fan of the five-door bodystyle, don't read this - the next WRX and STI will reportedly go four-door only. We've already seen the latter's whopping great wing, a tradition we're happy to see soldering on for next-gen car. According to the AN report, power figures to be around 265 horsepower from a 2.5-liter, turbocharged, flat-four engine.
Los Angeles is still quite far off, so expect to hear more rumblings about a production WRX or STI in the coming weeks. Take a look above for our most recent batch of spy photos, and then hop down below for some images of the stunning WRX Concept that was shown at New York.