Tokyo, June 26, 2019 – Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA), the fastest-growing Asian brand in the U.S. for the second consecutive year*, will relocate its headquarters from Cypress, California, to Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. The move is part of an ongoing plan to reinvent every aspect of Mitsubishi Motors in the U.S., from corporate leadership to dealer partners to every touchpoint in a customer's relationship with their vehicle, and will sharpen the company's focus on future growth and innovation.
Since 1988, MMNA has been rooted in California – now Cypress, and Fountain Valley prior to that. This move will begin in August, and be completed by the end of 2019. There are nearly 200 people working in MMNA's Cypress office. All corporate departments will be relocating, including sales, marketing, IT, human resources, communications, parts and service, product planning, dealer operations, finance and legal.
MMNA's west coast parts distribution center (PDC), currently located on the existing headquarters campus, also will be relocating. MMNA is working with Nissan North America to establish its PDC in a newly constructed shared facility in Riverside, California – further proof of the streamlining and cost savings the Alliance partnership brings to Mitsubishi's business.
No other Mitsubishi Motors facilities in the U.S. are affected, including Mitsubishi Research and Development North America (MRDA)'s R&D operations in Ann Arbor, Michigan and MRDA government relations operations in Washington, D.C.
MMNA's move highlights efforts taken across the entire global landscape of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance to bring the companies closer together in key areas including procurement, development and cost efficiencies. The company will realize more than just a fresh look at every aspect of its business, as the choice of Franklin sees Mitsubishi move closer to its sister company, Nissan, as well.
"Mitsubishi Motors is changing the way we go to market in the United States, and it is leading to a rebirth of the company," said Fred Diaz, MMNA's president and chief executive officer. "This is an exciting time for us, with a refreshed leadership team, new-look dealerships and redesigned and all-new vehicles. As we drive toward the future, this is the perfect time for us to move to a new home.
* Based on Motor Intelligence CY2017 and CY2018 Sales by Manufacturer data. Excludes premium brands.
About MITSUBISHI MOTORS
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is a global automobile company based in Tokyo, Japan, which has a competitive edge in SUVs and pickup trucks, electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.The company launched the i-MiEV – the first mass-produced electric vehicle in 2009, which was followed by the OUTLANDER PHEV in 2013 – a plug-in hybrid market leader in Japan and Europe. Mitsubishi Motors has 30,000 employees and a global footprint with production facilities in Japan, Thailand, China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Russia. Models, such as the PAJERO SPORT/MONTERO SPORT, TRITON/L200, OUTLANDER, ASX/OUTLANDER SPORT/RVR and XPANDER play a major role in achieving its growth. The global sales volume in fiscal year 2018 was 1,244,000 units, and the net sales of Mitsubishi Motors for fiscal year 2018 was 2.51 trillion yen. Mitsubishi Motors is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
