Rebuilding from the Ground Up, Mitsubishi Puts on a Brave Face

Like so many things in life, the auto industry is cyclical. There are good times and bad, for the entire market as well as individual brands.

How cool was Cadillac or Chrysler a few years ago? Would rap stars have considered featuring the domestic brands cars in their videos? Now the Cadillac Escalade and XLR are all the rage, with the new 300C the new sweetheart of product placement deals.

Not too long ago Nissan was languishing so poorly on the sales charts that naysayers were speculating its demise, while the automakers Infiniti brand was doing even worse. Now Infiniti is the darling of premium brands thanks to a thorough rethink, and Nissan is one of the worlds hottest brands.

Like our own personal lives, automakers experience good times and bad times. The new Galant (shown), is exactly the quality of product Mitsubishi needs to return to profitability. (Photo: Mitsubishi Motors North America)

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. would no doubt like to write a similar autobiography in three years time, or sooner. Currently its not ailing when it comes to products, with its Lancer able to match the majority of compacts in a head-to-head battle,

Mitsubishi is hoping they can turn their brand around, much like Cadillac and Chrysler have done in the past couple years. The Lancer Sportback (shown) is an exciting new addition perfectly timed to take advantage of the popularity of 5-doors, only marred by the lack of a manual transmission. (Photo: Mitsubishi Motors North America)

A few models, such as the Diamante, now outclassed by the Galant, and Montero Sport, seriously outdated by its competition, are selling poorly for good reason. Mitsubishi Motors North

Some of Mitsubishis vehicles, like the Montero Sport (shown), are seriously outdated compared to the competition. For this reason it will be cut from the 2005 lineup. (Photo: Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

A new Dodge Dakota-based sport pickup truck is on the horizon, which should help bring new customers into showrooms, and a redesigned Eclipse sport coupe and convertible is expected within the next year too, although sports car sales are currently extremely soft, prompting Toyota to discontinue its Celica and MR2 roadster, joining Honda which killed off its Prelude a few years back and

Mitsubishi is getting back to business basics, refocusing on key brand attributes and cutting costs. One of the cuts will be the flagship Montero SUV (shown), later in 2006. (Photo: Mitsubishi Motors North America)

But deadwood must be purged when restructuring, and the Japanese automaker is rebuilding from the ground up. Mitsubishi is getting back to business basics, refocusing on key brand attributes and cutting costs in the process.

In an interview with Detroit News, Finbarr ONeill, the new head of Mitsubishi Motors North America who joined the firm in September of last year after leading Hyundais North American operations to strong quality and resulting profits, commented, "The past is the past and theres not a thing I can do about it. The question is what can we do about the future?"

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