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TORONTO, Ontario — The leader of Fuji Heavy Industries revealed this week that Subaru Canada has a new chairman, president and chief executive officer who will take on the positions held by Katsuhiro Yokoyama.

Yokoyama has been in this role since 2005.

Appointed to the division's top post was Shiro Ohta, who started with Subaru's parent company almost a quarter century ago.

Ohta was Subaru Canada's executive coordinator field operations and assistant to the CEO between 1995 and 1998.

He starting working for the parent company immediately following his university graduation in 1986.

Ohta most recently served as the general manager of Fuji Heavy Industries' North American sales and marketing department.

He has also worked with FHI's sales/marketing operations in Africa and the Middle East, Oceania/Australia and Europe.

Ohta's experience also includes work at the dealership level.

"I would like to sincerely thank Katsuhiro Yokoyama for his outstanding work in leading Subaru Canada to record sales and market share," said Ohta.

"My immediate goal is to improve on those numbers even further. Our next target is a two percent market share, but I believe that it is possible for us to ultimately achieve 3 and even 4 percent," he added. "Subaru has built a strong brand awareness and we offer compelling and unique products. We must continue to build on those strengths."

Continuing on, Yokoyama pointed to Subaru Australia — which sold 36,506 units last year — as a benchmark for where Subaru Canada can be.

"The Australian market is a good benchmark for us," Ohta shared. "Canada's car market is one and a half times that of Australia, but in terms of sales numbers, Australia sells close to 40,000 units. They have a market share of almost 4 percent, so we know it can be done. We have not reached our full potential in the Canadian market yet."