Mitsubishi leaving US? No, it's doubling its marketing budget

Jeffrey N. Ross — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Mitsubishi, Earnings/Financials

We rarely hear any major news coming out of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) annual meeting in Orlando, FL, but Mitsubishi executives found this a fitting place to announce a big push for increased advertising here in the US. A report in Automotive News states that the struggling Japanese automaker is returning to advertising in prime time television for the first time since 2005, with the push slated to begin in June and July for the launch of the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander shown above.

Despite dwindling sales and a shrinking lineup, Mitsubishi's new North American chairman, Gayu Uesugi, has said on multiple occasions that the automaker has no plans to abandon the US market. Spending extra money on marketing and advertising should be a good start to help improve sales, but a lack of fresh and competitive products is also keeping showrooms empty. Aside from the new Outlander, the AN report says that Mitsubishi spokesman Roger Yasukawa said that a "yet-to-be-named subcompact" will arrive this year, which suggests the unnamed hatchback shown below (known elsewhere as the Mirage), could be heading to the US after its North American introduction at the Montreal Auto Show last month.

Mitsubishi leaving US? No, it's doubling its marketing budget originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Feb 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mitsubishi moving Outlander Sport production from Japan to Normal, IL

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 13:31:00 EST

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Mitsubishi

2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery

Mitsubishi has confirmed rumors that it will transfer production of at least one of its models from Japan to its American manufacturing site in Normal, IL. At this time, the only vehicle the automaker has officially confirmed for U.S. production is the Outlander Sport.

It's worth noting that the Outlander Sport shares a platform with the slightly larger Outlander and the Lancer sedan, so it certainly wouldn't be surprising if production of these models were moved Stateside as well. Mitsubishi estimates that about half of the models it builds in the States will be exported.

At present, the plant in Normal assembles the Galant, Endeavor and Eclipse, but these vehicles are scheduled to be phased out by 2013. About 1,000 of the automaker's 1,300 employees in North America are members of the United Auto Workers Union.

If you're interested in reading all the details straight from the source, you know where to look.

Gallery: First Drive: 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

Continue reading Mitsubishi moving Outlander Sport production from Japan to Normal, IL

Mitsubishi moving Outlander Sport production from Japan to Normal, IL originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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