Mitsubishi 'committed' to U.S.

**Ming** · 03-01-2005, 11:45 PM

Mitsubishi 'committed' to U.S.
CNN.com
Wednesday, March 2, 2005

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors has no plans to sell its plant in the United States or further trim its work force there and remains committed to the U.S. market, which is critical for the company's turnaround, the new president said Wednesday.

Osamu Masuko, appointed a month ago as president and chief operating officer, said production capacity at the plant in Normal, Illinois was reduced by about half last year to 125,000 or 130,000 vehicles a year to boost profitability.

No more job cuts are planned in the United States, Masuko told a small group of reporters at Tokyo headquarters.

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. trimmed its plant workers last year from about 1,900 to about 900 today, according to the automaker.

A spate of recall cover-up scandals that surfaced five years ago has taken its toll on Mitsubishi Motors, which is expecting a loss of 472 billion yen ($4.5 billion) for the fiscal year ending March 31 as it struggles to revive plunging sales.

The Japanese public was stunned when the Tokyo-based manufacturer acknowledged it had systematically hidden auto defects for decades to avoid recalls. It promised to come clean in 2000, but hidden recalls resurfaced last year, badly tarnishing its image.

The U.S. plant is now running at a pace of about 100,000 vehicles a year, but Masuko said he hopes to boost that to full-capacity soon, with the Eclipse going on sale in the United States in the summer, as well as by exporting vehicles to Russia, the Ukraine and the Middle East.

"As a single market, North America is an important market for us," he said.

Masuko denied the company had ever considered selling its U.S. operations or approached potential buyers. He also denied it was thinking about seeking a new partner in the United States and said it was determined to go at it alone, although it will continue to work on projects with DaimlerChrysler AG of Germany as it has in the past.

Masuko promised that Mitsubishi Motors will mark a clean break with its dubious past by announcing this month the results of an internal investigation on the recall scandal including penalties for employees. He declined to elaborate.

Full Article Here: http://edition.cnn.com/2005/BUSINESS.../japan.mmc.ap/

Infiniti Z350 · 03-01-2005, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ming

No more job cuts are planned in the United States, Masuko told a small group of reporters at Tokyo headquarters.

Unfortunately, saying it's not planned doesn't mean it can't (or won't) happen. If the new Eclipse flops, it may be the nail in the coffin for Mitsu in the US. They can't live off the Evo forever.

uujjj · 03-02-2005, 12:42 AM

It's like when the athletic director says he has "full confidence" in the coach . . .

member12 · 03-02-2005, 08:15 AM

I'm sure they are as commited now as they were when they made the zero airplane....

Sorry if i sound angry, but i just saw a commercial that said "here at Mitsubishi, we love ZERO" (to advertise their zero percent financing). That has to be a marketing mistake..

FightingChance · 03-02-2005, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by member12

I'm sure they are as commited now as they were when they made the zero airplane....

Sorry if i sound angry, but i just saw a commercial that said "here at Mitsubishi, we love ZERO" (to advertise their zero percent financing). That has to be a marketing mistake..

How in the hell can people still bring this up? What signifigance does this have? What heavy manufacturing company *doesn't* get pressed into making fighting machines when their home country is at war?

TiburonJT · 03-02-2005, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by member12

I'm sure they are as commited now as they were when they made the zero airplane....

Sorry if i sound angry, but i just saw a commercial that said "here at Mitsubishi, we love ZERO" (to advertise their zero percent financing). That has to be a marketing mistake..

That was 60 years ago and you are still talking about it? Fighting Chance is exactly right. Ford and GM built equipment for Nazi Germany, as well as the US of course, but that doesn't seem to be an issue for you.

New_Mexico_Sunset_on_Rt66 · 03-02-2005, 10:34 AM

Well, for most Japanese auto companies the U.S. is VERY IMPORTANT to what they are doing, seeing how the U.S. is the largest automobile market.

goblue · 03-02-2005, 11:08 AM

Lets drop the WWII garbage already. We beat them, in the end thats what counts.

As to this thread, I read it to mean: We're ticked our thoughts leaked, so rest assured we are committed to selling as many cars as we can until we have to pull the plug.

mk1700 · 03-02-2005, 11:46 AM

[quote=goblue]Lets drop the WWII garbage already.[quote]
I agree, instead of keep remember the WWII, North America should think in one way to make better cars.
Japanese are good...But what about the american pride, this is a war, but a commercial one. Lets bring bank the glory days of GM, Ford and Dodge!

SUPERBADD75 · 03-02-2005, 01:12 PM

Mitsu would do good to drop the gimmicky styling and quit trying to make everything look like the Evo. the only reason the styling of the Evo works is because it goes like he||. if you have that kind of motivation in a turd on wheels, you'll find an audience. their vehicles are wierd looking, to say the least, and the quality issues only make things worse for them. it will take a long time for them to return to glory, and their new warranty and free maintenance may not be enough to bolster sales enough to keep them running. they need to make good looking, great cars that truly compete against all competitors, and they need to make them good enough to render the warranty useless. i don't really like Mitsubishi, so i don't care if they stay here or not. i don't care what they do, i won't park one of their cars in my driveway, and i think there are a lot of people like me out there. the damage is done to a lot of people, and it's going to be difficult for them to overcome that. that said, it can be done, Hyundai has proven that. maybe Mitsu should copy them.

Taycron · 03-02-2005, 01:17 PM

The Pontiac Enola *** would be a hit..

gmsickofan · 03-02-2005, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goblue

As to this thread, I read it to mean: We're ticked our thoughts leaked, so rest assured we are committed to selling as many cars as we can until we have to pull the plug.

I love it.

Darc Requiem · 03-02-2005, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goblue

Lets drop the WWII garbage already. We beat them, in the end thats what counts.

As to this thread, I read it to mean: We're ticked our thoughts leaked, so rest assured we are committed to selling as many cars as we can until we have to pull the plug.

Yeah really. I was wondering were he was getting off with that stuff. As it has been stated. Using his logic we wouldn't be able to drive any vehicle. I mean what car manufacture didn't do war time manufacturing in the past?

Mitsu needs to continue the success with the Evo, improve its quality, make the Eclipse an AWD pony car alternative, and re-evaluate their front end styling.

03-01-2005, 11:45 PM	#1 (permalink)
Ming GMI Staff Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: SE Texas Posts: 13,418	Mitsubishi 'committed' to U.S. Mitsubishi 'committed' to U.S. CNN.com Wednesday, March 2, 2005 TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors has no plans to sell its plant in the United States or further trim its work force there and remains committed to the U.S. market, which is critical for the company's turnaround, the new president said Wednesday. Osamu Masuko, appointed a month ago as president and chief operating officer, said production capacity at the plant in Normal, Illinois was reduced by about half last year to 125,000 or 130,000 vehicles a year to boost profitability. No more job cuts are planned in the United States, Masuko told a small group of reporters at Tokyo headquarters. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. trimmed its plant workers last year from about 1,900 to about 900 today, according to the automaker. A spate of recall cover-up scandals that surfaced five years ago has taken its toll on Mitsubishi Motors, which is expecting a loss of 472 billion yen ($4.5 billion) for the fiscal year ending March 31 as it struggles to revive plunging sales. The Japanese public was stunned when the Tokyo-based manufacturer acknowledged it had systematically hidden auto defects for decades to avoid recalls. It promised to come clean in 2000, but hidden recalls resurfaced last year, badly tarnishing its image. The U.S. plant is now running at a pace of about 100,000 vehicles a year, but Masuko said he hopes to boost that to full-capacity soon, with the Eclipse going on sale in the United States in the summer, as well as by exporting vehicles to Russia, the Ukraine and the Middle East. "As a single market, North America is an important market for us," he said. Masuko denied the company had ever considered selling its U.S. operations or approached potential buyers. He also denied it was thinking about seeking a new partner in the United States and said it was determined to go at it alone, although it will continue to work on projects with DaimlerChrysler AG of Germany as it has in the past. Masuko promised that Mitsubishi Motors will mark a clean break with its dubious past by announcing this month the results of an internal investigation on the recall scandal including penalties for employees. He declined to elaborate. Full Article Here: http://edition.cnn.com/2005/BUSINESS.../japan.mmc.ap/

03-02-2005, 12:42 AM	#3 (permalink)
uujjj 3.9 Liter V6 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Urbana, IL Drives: zx3 Posts: 784	Re: Mitsubishi 'committed' to U.S. It's like when the athletic director says he has "full confidence" in the coach . . . __________________ To stay employable in the future in this country, you need to have highly marketable skills that are unlikely to be shipped overseas. So, brush up on your brooming and cash register skills.

03-02-2005, 08:15 AM	#4 (permalink)
member12 7.0 Liter LS7 V8 Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Atlanta Drives: pickup truck Posts: 5,370	Re: Mitsubishi 'committed' to U.S. I'm sure they are as commited now as they were when they made the zero airplane.... Sorry if i sound angry, but i just saw a commercial that said "here at Mitsubishi, we love ZERO" (to advertise their zero percent financing). That has to be a marketing mistake..

03-02-2005, 10:34 AM	#7 (permalink)
New_Mexico_Sunset_on_Rt66 7.0 Liter LS7 V8 Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Cedar Rapids, IA (formerly sunny New Mexico (y muchacho lo falto)) Drives: '02 Corvette Z06, '01 Silverado LT 4x4 Ext Cab, 19 Posts: 5,674	Re: Mitsubishi 'committed' to U.S. Well, for most Japanese auto companies the U.S. is VERY IMPORTANT to what they are doing, seeing how the U.S. is the largest automobile market. __________________ 1979 Chevy Van 1978 Pontiac Firebird 1985 GMC S-15 Jimmy 1992 Pontiac Grand Am 1998 Oldmobile Intrigue 2002 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 1972 Chevrolet C-10 P/U 1979 Chevrolet K5 Blazer 2002 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 2001 Chevrolet Silverado LT 4x4 Ext Cab "Sometimes you gotta say, 'What the *******'. "What the ******* gives you freedom, freedom creates opportunity, ... opportunity - makes your future." - 'Risky Business' 1983 Last edited by New_Mexico_Sunset_on_Rt66 : 03-02-2005 at 11:26 AM.

03-02-2005, 11:08 AM	#8 (permalink)
goblue 5.3 Liter LS4 V8 Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 3,497	Re: Mitsubishi 'committed' to U.S. Lets drop the WWII garbage already. We beat them, in the end thats what counts. As to this thread, I read it to mean: We're ticked our thoughts leaked, so rest assured we are committed to selling as many cars as we can until we have to pull the plug.

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03-02-2005, 11:46 AM	#9 (permalink)
mk1700 3.6 Liter V6 Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Guadalajara, Mexico Drives: 2002 Opel Astra 1.8L Posts: 1,248	Re: Mitsubishi 'committed' to U.S. [quote=goblue]Lets drop the WWII garbage already.[quote] I agree, instead of keep remember the WWII, North America should think in one way to make better cars. Japanese are good...But what about the american pride, this is a war, but a commercial one. Lets bring bank the glory days of GM, Ford and Dodge! __________________

03-02-2005, 01:12 PM	#10 (permalink)
SUPERBADD75 6.2 Liter Vortec V8 Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: at the corner of walk and don't walk Drives: 2008 Trailblazer LT3 2009 Mustang Posts: 2,899	Re: Mitsubishi 'committed' to U.S. Mitsu would do good to drop the gimmicky styling and quit trying to make everything look like the Evo. the only reason the styling of the Evo works is because it goes like he\|\|. if you have that kind of motivation in a turd on wheels, you'll find an audience. their vehicles are wierd looking, to say the least, and the quality issues only make things worse for them. it will take a long time for them to return to glory, and their new warranty and free maintenance may not be enough to bolster sales enough to keep them running. they need to make good looking, great cars that truly compete against all competitors, and they need to make them good enough to render the warranty useless. i don't really like Mitsubishi, so i don't care if they stay here or not. i don't care what they do, i won't park one of their cars in my driveway, and i think there are a lot of people like me out there. the damage is done to a lot of people, and it's going to be difficult for them to overcome that. that said, it can be done, Hyundai has proven that. maybe Mitsu should copy them. __________________ Acura: Because if you want a really nice Honda, there's only one choice. "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." --Albert Einstein - 2008 Trailblazer LT3 - 2009 Mustang SUPPORT AMERICA: BOYCOTT WAL-MART

03-02-2005, 01:17 PM	#11 (permalink)
Taycron 3.6 Liter V6 Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 1,126	Re: Mitsubishi 'committed' to U.S. The Pontiac Enola *** would be a hit..

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