As part of its efforts to restructure global operations, Mitsubishi announced that it will end production at its Normal, Ill. assembly plant, Japanese newspaper Nikkei reports. This decision had been in the minds of executives for several years, and now they’re apparently looking to sell the plant.
Opened in 1988, the Normal facility has produced the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eclipse Spyder, Mirage, Galant, Endeavor, and Outlander. Through a joint venture with Chrysler, it also built the Plymouth Laser, Eagle Talon, Eagle Summit, Dodge Avenger, Dodge Stratus, and Chrysler Sebring.
From 1988-2014, a total of 3,245,381 cars rolled off the assembly lines and were sold in over 50 countries including Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Liban, Paraguay, Germany, and the Netherlands, among others.
The end of U.S production for Mitsubishi comes three years after Suzuki’s departure from Uncle Sam’s land (it also ceased automobile operations in Canada a year later). Will a similar scenario unfold this time? We’ll find out.