As part of its centenary celebrations, Fuji Heavy Industries will rename itself as Subaru Corporation in 2017, pending shareholder approval in June.
Fuji Heavy Industries traces its roots back to 1917 when Chikuhei Nakajima started the Aircraft Research Laboratory, which later became the Nakajima Aircraft and then Fuji Sangyo.
After World War II, Fuji Sangyo was broken up, but in 1955, six companies that used to be a part of Fuji Sangyo merged to become Fuji Heavy Industries.
In a proposal to be put forth at Fuji Heavy Industries’ annual general meeting in June 2016, the company plans to rename itself Subaru Corporation in honor of its most well known unit, the Subaru car company.
The company’s rationale for the renaming is this: “The purpose of this shift is to further accelerate our efforts to enhance the Subaru brand and achieve even greater growth for Subaru as a distinctive global brand in the automotive and aerospace industries.”
Related: Subaru etymology — What does its name mean?
