2020 was a challenging year for Subaru, one of the smallest Japanese automakers. But 2021 is starting with new worries for Subaru of America. Subaru Corporation shut down its Japanese plants and the manufacturing facility in Lafayette, Indiana, at the beginning of the year. It's affecting inventory of the 2021 Forester, Outback, and Crosstrek, and other models. According to a new report from the Automotive News Research & Data Center, Subaru plant shutdowns reduced January output by about 20,200 vehicles because of the recent microchip shortage. AutoForecast Solutions projects this number will increase. This is problematic for Subaru because another report by Cox Automotive says Subaru of America continues to have the tightest days' supply of cars of any automaker in the U.S. in 2021.