Mitsubishi Motors Announces New Focus on Japan, Southeast Asian, and Russia
We’ve already broken the news that Mitsubishi will no longer be producing the Outlander Sport in the United States. Now, it looks like the Japanese carmaker will be focusing its principal production on some unexpected areas.
During a press conference, Tetsuro Aikawa, president and chief operating officer of Mitsubishi Motors, announced that the brand will focus on Japan, Southeast Asia, and Russia as production hubs.
Watch the Mitsubishi press conference below:
This shift comes during a change of focus for the carmaker.
Rather than focusing on improving the brand’s American lineup, Mitsubishi is instead focusing on output in Southeast Asia, where its pickup trucks and SUVs continue to grow in popularity. Currently, Mitsubishi produces cars in Thailand and the Philippines with plans to build a new factory in Indonesia for vehicles like the newest Pajero Sport SUV.
Mitsubishi’s plan to shut down its American assembly plant–located in Normal, Indiana–is due to the lack of production rather than shifts in foreign exchange rates. The Japanese company is now working with the UAW to find someone to buy the US plant in hopes to preserve the jobs linked to the plant.
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