At the company's annual North American dealer meeting July 16, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (MMC) announced plans to completely consolidate its North American sales, manufacturing, finance, and research and development operations into a new single organization.

The company will be called Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) and will be led by a new management structure composed of North American executives who have recently overseen a complete overhaul of the company's operations in the United States and led the Japanese automaker to three consecutive years of record U.S. sales, profits, brand awareness and productivity.

According to Rolf Eckrodt, president and CEO of MMC, the company's success in the United States has become one of the primary engines driving MMC's global turnaround.

"North America has emerged as a thriving market for Mitsubishi Motors and is now recognized in Japan as an important target for further growth and investment," Eckrodt said. "Creating one single, unified organization allows for better synergies with Mitsubishi's global operations and reflects the recent success and the enormous potential we see in this critical region."

Steve Torok, executive vice president of international car operations for MMC, noted that Mitsubishi Motors is preparing for what he called an unprecedented wave of new product launches in North America, introducing seven new products over the next three years, and that the company's plans to expand into Canada are well ahead of schedule. Through its alliance with DaimlerChrysler, Mitsubishi is also developing plans to begin selling cars in Mexico in early 2003.

"We've made tremendous strides over the past several years," Torok added. "But we've really just begun. Our next phase of growth is coming on fast and we need to be prepared with a focused organization that can move quickly and react without hesitation."

Mitsubishi Motors announced that Pierre Gagnon will be promoted to president and CEO of MMNA and he will be responsible for leading all Mitsubishi Motors operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Gagnon becomes first ever North American to lead Mitsubishi Motors in North America since the company was established in the United States in 1981. In his new position, Gagnon will also lead an intense focus on capturing market share and enhancing the customer experience throughout North America.

Gagnon previously served as president and COO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America, Inc. (MMSA), the sales and marketing organization for Mitsubishi-brand vehicles in the United States. Sales have increased 69 percent over three years, contributing to three consecutive years of record MMSA profits as well.

Mitsubishi Motors said it expects MMNA to be fully established by the first quarter of 2003. In the meantime, Gagnon will assume the position of president and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors America (MMA), the legal name for Mitsubishi's North American administrative organization connected to the individual sales and manufacturing companies.

Rich Gilligan, currently president and COO of Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America, Inc. (MMMA), will retain his current responsibilities as head of Mitsubishi's North American manufacturing operation, and will assume an expanded role for quality and procurement throughout North America. Gilligan will also join Mitsubishi's Global Production Integration team.

Under Gilligan's leadership, MMMA's Normal, Ill., assembly plant broke into the top three in assembly productivity among North American automobile manufacturers, delivered improved quality, secured the 2002 Harbour Report North America "most improved" ranking for the third consecutive year, and MMMA has emerged as a highly profitable company. In MMNA, Gilligan will assume the position of executive vice president and COO of the Manufacturing and Procurement division.

Mitsubishi Motors also announced the promotion of Greg O'Neill to president and COO of MMSA. O'Neill replaces Gagnon and will assume responsibility for all sales and marketing functions within the new organization. O'Neill previously served as executive vice president and general manager of MMSA, and, according to Mitsubishi Motors, played a critical role in driving the company's brand strategy, implementing new technologies at the corporate level and expanding Mitsubishi's U.S. dealer network. In the newly created company MMNA, O'Neill will assume the position of executive vice president and COO of the Marketing and Sales division.

Mitsubishi Motors identified several important benefits the new consolidated organization will provide as the company enters the next phase of its North American growth strategy. The new company's structure will increase Mitsubishi Motors' competitive advantage in North America by integrating all aspects of the company's operations, from engineering and design to distribution and marketing strategies and will ensure development and delivery of the best products to meet market demands.

Other benefits, according to Mitsubishi Motors, include:

-- Streamlining business planning processes

-- Creating one North American legal entity for financial reporting purposes to better reflect overall investment and profit picture

-- Leveraging support functions and related resources more effectively across the organizations

-- Elimination of non-value added inter-corporate pricing negotiations and related processes

-- Enabling more strategic long-term planning and product development

The movement toward this new organization began in June 2000 with consolidation of support functions between MMSA and MMMA.

About Mitsubishi Motors

Mitsubishi Motors' North American operations currently include Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America, Inc. (MMSA), based in Cypress, Calif., the sole distributor of Mitsubishi-badged cars and light trucks in the American market through a network of more than 580 dealers in 50 states; Mitsubishi Motor Credit of America (MMCA), a wholly-owned finance subsidiary of MMSA; Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America, Inc. (MMMA), located in Normal, Ill., which produces the Mitsubishi Galant, Eclipse and Eclipse Spyder, and two models for DaimlerChrysler Corp.; Mitsubishi Motors Research and Development of America, Inc. (MRDA), located in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Cypress, Calif., responsible for the design and engineering of Mitsubishi products for the American market; and Mitsubishi Motors America, Inc. (MMA), currently based in Southfield, Mich., which oversees parts procurement for MMC and coordinates government relations in the United States.