Mitsubishi Canada understands our market | |
| Larry Futers, Marketing Director. |
After several years of financial difficulties, Japanese automaker Mitsubishi enjoyed a sales explosion in mid-2006. The Canadian division recently invited a group of auto journalists to meet the high executives, namely the new President, Koji Soga, the young and dynamic Vice President, Tomoki Yanagawa (who can speak a few words in French), as well as the energetic Marketing Director, Larry Futers. They promised us a few surprises... and indeed we had some.
Lancer & Outlander: monster success With the introduction of the all-new, completely redesigned Outlander and Lancer, Mitsubishi dealers are barking for more. Actually, the automaker is unable to meet demand. That's understandable: Mitsubishi engineers are masters at creating world-class chassis. In Japan, plant capacity has been increased by nearly 120 percent in order to try to meet international orders for the Lancer.
Corporate image You've probably seen the company's various ads: they promote performance and Mitsubishi's rally victories, likening their vehicles to a top athlete. Mitsubishi successfully attracted consumer interest -- that's what they were aiming for.
New President Mr. Koji Soga was appointed as the new President and CEO of Mitsubishi Canada after 15 years in Europe (including 9 in Germany and 6 in the Netherlands). As soon as he had settled into his new functions last October, he began establishing close relationships with dealers and strived to make the company even more independent from the American market. For instance, a new parts distribution centre will soon be built in order to better serve the Canadian customers. In my opinion, the arrival of Mr. Soga is great news for our market. Given his European background, this man is quick to understand the various aspects and issues pertaining to the automotive market in Quebec and Canada. Thanks to him, we were able to test-drive European, Japanese and Thai models during our visit to Mitsubishi's headquarters.
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| Koji Soga and Tomoki Yanagawa, respectively President and Vice President of Mitsubishi Canada. |
More and more dealerships Under the command of the new management team, Mitsubishi increased the number of dealerships from 62 to 75 at the end of March 2007 and plans on adding 15 more dealerships (for a total of 90) by April 2008.