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Mitsubishi Motors to relocate North America HQ to Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Mitsubishi Motors announced on Tuesday that it is relocating its North America headquarters from California to Tennessee, a move that will bring the Japanese automaker closer to its sister company Nissan and strengthen Tennessee's growing reputation as an epicenter of the automotive sector. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe — who made the announcement with Mitsubishi Motors North America — say the headquarters move from Cypress, California, to Franklin, Tennessee, will result in an $18.25 million investment in the region and approximately 200 jobs. Lee and Rolfe added that they met with Mitsubishi's global executives last week to convince them to move to Tennessee while in Japan during the Republican governor's first trade mission. It is unclear what financial incentives state officials offered Mitsubishi to move to Tennessee. "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," Fred Diaz, Mitsubishi Motors North America's president and CEO, said in a statement. Franklin is located just south of Nashville, also known as "Music City," and is home to the state's most powerful Republicans, ranging from Gov. Lee, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and House Speaker Glen Casada. "Over the years, Tennessee has become the epicenter of the Southeast's thriving automotive sector, and I'm proud Mitsubishi Motors will call Franklin its U.S. home and bring 200 high-quality jobs to Middle Tennessee," Lee, who took over the office this year, said in a statement. Mitsubishi Motors' North America headquarters has been located in California since 1988. The company expects the relocation will begin in August and will be completed by the end of the year. Initially, a temporary office will handle operations to allow the company time to identify a permanent office. Company officials say the move is part an ongoing effort to "reinvent every aspect of Mitsubishi Motors in the U.S.," as well as strengthen the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Nissan has a production plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, and owns a 34% stake in Mitsubishi Motors. Last week, Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

2023 Mitsubishi Triton coming after the Ford Ranger overseas

The next-generation Mitsubishi Triton is coming soon to a trail near you — assuming you live outside of the United States. Known as the L200 in some global markets, the truck was shaped by a new, more rugged-looking design language that Mitsubishi calls "Beast Mode." Dark preview images published by the Japanese brand depict a pickup that has been reinvented from the ground up. While the current Triton features rather unusual proportions characterized by a slanted shut line and a super-sized rear overhang, its successor looks a little more conventional, though we'll make the final call when we see it in the metal. We spot a tall, upright front end with LED accents that Mitsubishi describes as "resembling the sharp gaze of a hawk" and a rectangular grille with both "Mitsubishi" lettering and the company's emblem. 2023 Mitsubishi Triton View 4 Photos We're curious to find out what's under the sheet metal. Mitsubishi recently expanded its European range with badge-engineered Renault models, such as the Clio-based Colt. Nothing suggests that the Triton is a badge-engineered version of another truck, and the current-generation Nissan Navara (which is unrelated to our Frontier) is likely too old to provide its platform. Could it be the other way around? Mitsubishi is part of the Renault-Nissan alliance, and the group strives to achieve economies of scale, so the Triton could also preview the next Navara. Of course, this is pure speculation. Nothing is official at this stage, and Mitsubishi isn't ready to release technical details. It hasn't published images of the interior yet, but a preview video embedded above suggests that upmarket models will receive a free-standing touchscreen for the infotainment system and a dial to select one of the transfer case's different options. Broadly speaking, we're expecting that the next Triton will offer a more SUV-like interior to reflect the fact that, even outside of America, buyers are increasingly using pickups as daily drivers. Mitsubishi will unveil the next-generation Triton in Thailand, where the model will be built, on July 26. The truck will be sold in a long list of nations, including several countries in Latin America and in the Middle East, but it doesn't sound like it will be offered in the United States. Elsewhere, the Triton will compete in an increasingly crowded ring against the Ford Ranger, the Volkswagen Amarok, and the Toyota Hilux. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party.

Mitsubishi bringing SUV 'Legend' to the Chicago Auto Show

Mitsubishi claims that "a legend" is returning to its ranks at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show in February. Its save-the-date to the Windy City event just depicts an indistinguishable crossover sitting on top of a sand dune as the only hint of what the Japanese brand has in store. However, according to company spokesperson Alex Fedorak this isn't an entirely new vehicle. Mitsubishi is giving the GC-PHEV concept (pictured below) its North American debut, after originally unveiling it at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. While it's purely a concept, the vehicle is "a designer's rendering of what a new Montero could look like," said Fedorak to Autoblog. While Mitsu is not committing to putting the chunky CUV into production yet, the press conference is going to "talk about what role if any it plays in our future," he said.