Mitsubishi is taking a page from luxury auto brands in a push to build its North American sales.

The Japanese automaker will open its first “sales gallery” in a Nashville-area shopping center in the first quarter. It’s the first of an unspecified number of what amount to extensions of existing dealerships in high-traffic areas.

Mitsubishi says it’s the first nonpremium mass-market brand to introduce the studio- or gallery-type concept that allows consumers to explore the brand in a “no-pressure, inviting and open format.” The concept makes the brand more accessible without the need to store large numbers of vehicles on the site, it pointed out.

The first of the galleries will be in a new Antioch, Tenn., multiuse development as a “proof-of-concept” offshoot of City Auto Mitsubishi in Mufreesboro.

The galleries plan is part of Mitsubishi’s Momentum 2030 business blueprint to take it into the next decade in a stronger North American position with a “full brand-wide reinvention” in the U.S. Mark Chaffin, president and CEO of its North American arm, said the brand has a retail presence in just about a third of U.S. new-vehicle markets but aims to be in more than half.

“I often receive letters from customers saying they saw our car on the road, that they love the design and love the value proposition we offer, but have no Mitsubishi dealer partner nearby to make a purchase,” he said in a press release.

“One of our strengths is that we are both small and nimble, enabling us to make fast decisions and pivot quickly as necessary. But our small dealer-network across the U.S. limits our ability to grow our share and sales volume.”

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