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 automaker said this 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. MMNA also said the move will sharpen the company’s focus on future growth and innovation.
Since 1988, MMNA has been rooted in California – currently located in Cypress, and Fountain Valley prior to that. This move will begin in August and be completed by the end of 2019.
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 said it chose Franklin as its new home because it allows MMNA to focus its efforts on company-wide reinvention and to take advantage of the area’s vibrant technology skillset, all while realizing cost-savings through the business-friendly work environment and proximity to sister company, Nissan.
While MMNA has seen an ongoing strengthening of the business for multiple years, with six straight years of annual sales gains, in the past two years the automaker has had more than 100,000 sales and retaining its “fastest-growing Asian brand” title for the second year. It is the past 12 months that have brought the greatest changes across MMNA, according to the automaker. Some include:
- 80 percent of the leadership team is new to the company or newly promoted to the role, bringing new experiences, backgrounds and a diversity of thought to the team
- 34 new dealer partners have been appointed across the country
- MMNA’s regional network has been expanded from two offices to four (Cypress, California; Irving, Texas; Swedesboro, New York; Lake Mary, Florida.)
- The company was the most-improved brand in the entire J.D. Power and Associates’ 2018 Customer Satisfaction Index
“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 CEO. “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. While we say farewell to the Golden State with a heavy heart, we’re excited to say hello to Music City.”
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 – consistent with the streamlining and cost savings the Alliance partnership brings to Mitsubishi’s business.
In addition, 25 employees representing the company’s Western Region operations will move to new offices elsewhere in Orange County, California.
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.
*Based on Motor Intelligence CY2017 and CY2018 Sales by Manufacturer data. Excludes premium brands.
