Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) has announced plans for a $200 million expansion of its manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois, increasing the plant's capacity 25 percent from 240,000 to 300,000 units and creating an estimated 300 new jobs.
"Expanding our Illinois manufacturing operation is part of our commitment to design and build more vehicles in North America," said MMNA Chairman and CEO Pierre Gagnon. "We're entering the next phase of our North American growth strategy by launching more new products and increasing our investment in the region."
The plant expansion will support the production of Endeavor, and other future Mitsubishi products riding the same all-new platform, including the next-generation Galant mid-sized sedan that will be unveiled next month at the New York International Auto Show.
The announcement comes as Mitsubishi Motors continues evaluating additional plans for increasing local production of vehicles sold in the North American market. The company is studying further options for increasing capacity that could include utilizing available production capacity at one of alliance partner DaimlerChrysler North American plants, expanding the Illinois facility even further or potentially building a new plant, with a decision expected by this summer.
"Our goal is to produce more vehicles in the markets where they are sold," said Steven Torok, executive vice president of international car operations for Mitsubishi Motors Corporation in Tokyo. "Adding capacity makes sense based on the success of the Mitsubishi Motors brand in the United States and our continuing expansion throughout North America."
Mitsubishi Motors achieved an 81 percent increase in U.S. sales over the past four years and is working toward further growth in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico by 2007. Mitsubishi-brand vehicles went on sale for the first time in Canada in September 2002 and in Mexico in January 2003.
The company expects to break ground on the expansion in April and complete construction in fall of 2004.