Mi Magazine
A Message From the President and CEO
Welcome to Mi Magazine!
On an ongoing basis, we invite representatives from some of the top Mitsubishi Motors dealers across Canada to visit the brand’s home country of Japan. It’s my homeland as well, so I always enjoy the opportunity to play tour guide to show off Japan’s immense cultural heritage and beautiful landscape. In addition to visiting some of the country’s most celebrated temples and moving city-to-city on Japan’s legendary bullet trains, we bring the dealers on a tour of the Mitsubishi Motors factory in Okazaki, a city about 300 kilometres southwest of Tokyo. For the majority of Canadian owners of modern Mitsubishi vehicles, this facility is the birthplace of their SUVs. This sprawling campus is the home of a vast research and development centre, where all Mitsubishi vehicles are designed and developed. It is where the Mitsubishi Motors craftsmanship originates.
The Okazaki facility also houses a PHEV information centre, the historic Mitsubishi Auto Gallery museum, and most importantly, the factory producing all of the Outlander PHEV, Outlander gas and Eclipse Cross models sold in Canada today. The RVR subcompact crossover is produced at another factory in Mizushima, Japan. The reason we bring our dealers to tour these factories is because they’re such good examples of the deep culture of quality and craftsmanship embedded in the Mitsubishi Motors brand. Engineers in the R&D centre and work- ers on the factory floor are highly skilled and dedicated labourers, many of whom have worked at these plants for decades. Although factory and production technology has evolved significantly over the years, Mitsubishi Motors’ commit- ment to quality has never wavered. If you’re considering purchasing your first, second or fifth Mitsubishi vehicle, know that it was assembled by a group of workers who are committed to the brand’s culture and heritage. On another note, this will be my last edition of Mi Magazine as the President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada. My term as President comes to a close at the end of March, and that means I’ll be heading back to Japan to work with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation in another capacity, while a new President and CEO will soon be named to take over the reins here in Canada. This was my second stint in Canada, having previously overseen Aftersales here a number of years ago. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time overseeing the incredible team at our head office, parts warehouse and working col- laboratively with our 97 dealerships across Canada. Since I arrived in 2021, we have grown Mitsubishi Motors sales in Canada from fewer than 24,000 vehicles in 2021 to a record 38,921 vehicles in 2024. That’s a testament to Mitsubishi offering vehicles well-suited to the Canadian lifestyle and preferences, and to our excellent network of dealerships serving communities big and small. I look forward to watching the brand continue to grow in Canada. Sincerely,
Kenji Harada President and CEO Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, Inc.
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