Number of Mitsubishi dealerships in U.S. & other countries -- how many dealers?

Just posting this for future reference. Sometimes it's useful to know how many dealers there are, when you're following Mirage sales numbers.

Apparently these numbers aren't generally made available. EG: in this interview, a U.S. Mitsubishi dealer says:

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What happened to Mitsubishi's dealer count in the United States last year. Did it change?


I'm not privy to those numbers, but I believe it was flat and it's around 380 dealerships.

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(Source: Automotive News / Ryan Beene -- January 26, 2014)

In a 2013 article, we read that it's 373 U.S. dealers.
(Source: Wards Auto / Steve Finlay -- Mar 18, 2013)

Last week, Ken Konieczka, vice president-sales operations (US) is quoted referring to:

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"our (360-count) dealer body"

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(Source: Wards Auto / Christie Schweinsberg Jan 8, 2016)

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Interesting. I wonder if, with Mitsu's great sales the past year if they've continued loosing dealers? I highly doubt anyone is jumping on the wagon to make new Mitsu dealerships... yet.

The closest Mitsubishi dealership is so rundown it might close any minute.

One of those articles said that when Suzuki pulled out of the U.S., some of their dealers went with Mitsu.

I'm not sure if that's a good or bad sign. :D

Suzuki pulled out 4 or 5 years ago right?

There seems to be one per large metro area here in NY. Utica doesn't have a Mitsubishi dealer. I was surprised when I saw one Mirage in Utica. I'm guessing they went to Albany or Syracuse to get it.

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Originally Posted by Daox

Interesting. I wonder if, with Mitsu's great sales the past year if they've continued loosing dealers? I highly doubt anyone is jumping on the wagon to make new Mitsu dealerships... yet.

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I have tried on a couple times to get a Mitsubishi franchise. There picky. I live in a city with about 150,000 people metro and they still wont let me get one. The 2 closest dealers are both an hour away.

That's somewhat surprising. I would have thought they'd be eager to have new stores.

I will try again in a couple years hopefully when they are stronger. They just kept telling me that the market isnt strong enough to support another dealer

Very interesting... I wasn't aware they regulated it.

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Originally Posted by grsupercity

I will try again in a couple years hopefully when they are stronger. They just kept telling me that the market isnt strong enough to support another dealer

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This would seem to make a lot of sense. The current 2015 sales figure were still sub 100,000 cars total across all makes. That's pretty dismal, when you take into account, that the Ford Focus, sells about 300,000 cars alone in the US each year.

They're right, there isn't the market for it. And they're also the cause: few options, and few dealerships. If they want their market share to increase they need more options (particularly sedans) and they need more dealers. First thing they can do is bring in more options. That doesn't require more dealers.

Mitsubishi makes some solid cars, but they also need to fix their image. They have no slogan (that I'm aware of) and they have cheap and crappy paint. People buy cars on appearance. Fix your paint, add more options, and get a slogan. They have excellent warranties, but a warranty only gets you so far.

Thats 294 cars per dealer sold a year. Thats actually some really good numbers.

I think mirage/space star saved mitsu somehow as their sales dropped

I said before, build a 2seater, same material, but better cd than 1st gen insight. Get the revs per mile down to 2500 at 70 mph.
70 mpg.

regards
mech

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Originally Posted by BRagland

This would seem to make a lot of sense. The current 2015 sales figure were still sub 100,000 cars total across all makes. That's pretty dismal, when you take into account, that the Ford Focus, sells about 300,000 cars alone in the US each year.

They're right, there isn't the market for it. And they're also the cause: few options, and few dealerships. If they want their market share to increase they need more options (particularly sedans) and they need more dealers. First thing they can do is bring in more options. That doesn't require more dealers.

Mitsubishi makes some solid cars, but they also need to fix their image. They have no slogan (that I'm aware of) and they have cheap and crappy paint. People buy cars on appearance. Fix your paint, add more options, and get a slogan. They have excellent warranties, but a warranty only gets you so far.

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mitsu slogan: "Drive@earth" :)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsub...avy_Industries

Not many manufacturers of automobiles have such a robust base in many different fields of manufacture. They laugh at US rag writers attempts to drive them out of any market anywhere.

regards
mech

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Originally Posted by old mechanic

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsub...avy_Industries

Not many manufacturers of automobiles have such a robust base in many different fields of manufacture. They laugh at US rag writers attempts to drive them out of any market anywhere.

regards
mech

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That is why they know how to design things without issues :)

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91 dealerships across Canada

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... as of April 1, 2016.

http://www.mitsubishi-motors-pr.ca/c...ch-sales-up-24

That's up from 75 dealerships in May, 2009:

https://www.google.ca/search?q=%22de...OnCce9Ua-zppgP

We have two dealership on the island (Victoria & Nanaimo) but there are 6 dealerships just in the Greater Vancouver area.

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Originally Posted by cyclopathic

The closest Mitsubishi dealership is so rundown it might close any minute.

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Well, it seems like severa dealerships have closed in the couple of years since this thread was started.

Mitsu US has gone from 360 to 355 dealerships:

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Through a network of approximately 355 dealer partners across the United States...

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Mitsubishi Motors welcomes Westgate Triad Mitsubishi into growing dealer network

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Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Well, it seems like severa dealerships have closed in the couple of years since this thread was started.

Mitsu US has gone from 360 to 355 dealerships:



Mitsubishi Motors welcomes Westgate Triad Mitsubishi into growing dealer network

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Now if only there was a Mitsubishi dealer closer than a 5 hour drive one way from me that would be an improvement!

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Originally Posted by inuvik

Now if only there was a Mitsubishi dealer closer than a 5 hour drive one way from me that would be an improvement!

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My local dealership closed a couple years ago. The nearest one now is about 40 minutes away. Guess I should feel LUCKY? :)

There are three Mitsubishi dealers within a 15 mile radius in my area (S. Florida/Miami).

So, down a bit from when this thread was started.

But with plans to expand, according to new CEO, Fred Diaz:

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The company's 367 dealers represent about 61 percent of the U.S. market today, he said. He hopes to grow that number north of 90 percent.

"I know for a fact we can double our sales," Diaz said.

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https://www.autonews.com/dealers/mit...p-double-sales

Do most Mitsubishi dealers look tiny like used car lots? The "Highest volume dealer in Canada" is pretty small and rarely has parts in stock. It's not uncommon for them to refuse to sell more than 10 oil filters at one time cause they don't have enough on hand.

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Originally Posted by Fummins

Do most Mitsubishi dealers look tiny like used car lots? The "Highest volume dealer in Canada" is pretty small and rarely has parts in stock. It's not uncommon for them to refuse to sell more than 10 oil filters at one time cause they don't have enough on hand.

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MY closest Mitsubishi dealership was a used car dealership before becoming a Mitsubishi dealership, & sadly I find them to be very repulsive. Their radio ads, website, & how they do business is just lame! If I hadn't looked past the bad practices of this dealership, I would have never bought a new Mirage.

Overall, Mitsubishi dealerships in Wisconsin seem pretty "rinky dink" to me. If there's a good one in our state, I am not aware of it yet. The lack of good established dealerships is a handicap for Mitsubishi in my mind. Some people I know wouldn't bother looking at a Mitsubishi for that reason alone.

Agreed, I've never been so irritated by a dealership before over and over and over. I recommend the Mirage to anyone that asks me about them but not the dealer I've dealt with. But they do seem to be the cheapest. They must be able to offer lower prices with all the money they save by having low priced staff that nobody else wants?

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Originally Posted by Fummins

Do most Mitsubishi dealers look tiny like used car lots?

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That describes the dealership where I bought mine pretty well. It's basically a parking garage in Scottsdale. Most of their business is in used cars.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-X8Z6Wnt.jpg

That place looks big compared to this one Attachment 14586

Wow, that is pretty sad-looking. That's what came up when you searched for "dumbass mitsubishi"? :p

I looked it up, and Edmonton (pop. 1.3 million) has three Mitsubishi dealerships ("Northside," "West Side," and "Southside" lol). The Phoenix metro area (pop. 4.7 million) has four. Their combined inventory is about 500 new cars.

This is one Chevy dealer near me, one of more than a dozen in the metro area. This location alone has more new cars than all the Mitsubishi dealerships combined.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...Z2JbJvq-XL.jpg

We just got a new Mitsubishi dealer in Portland—Rodger Kehdi Mitsubishi. It used to be a used car lot. I'm very, VERY much hoping it gets a remodel. It's currently bright green with a printed vinyl banner (see photo via their Facebook page).

Attachment 14615

Plus, I'd say 80% of the stuff they post on their page is used cars (not new), but that seems to be fairly commonplace among Mitsu dealers.

I hope they get a full remodel; I'd love for it to be my Mitsu dealer as it's 5 min from my house.

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Originally Posted by Subcompact Culture

We just got a new Mitsubishi dealer in Portland—Rodger Kehdi Mitsubishi. It used to be a used car lot. I'm very, VERY much hoping it gets a remodel. It's currently bright green with a printed vinyl banner (see photo via their Facebook page).

Plus, I'd say 80% of the stuff they post on their page is used cars (not new), but that seems to be fairly commonplace among Mitsu dealers.

I hope they get a full remodel; I'd love for it to be my Mitsu dealer as it's 5 min from my house.

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There are a lot of things that are way more important than the physical appearance of their building/facilities. My nearest Mitsubishi dealership is about 65 miles from my hometown area. They were a used car dealership that took on Mitsubishi about 2-3 years ago. Visiting them twice was the worst dealership experience that I have ever had, but I appreciated the test drive of one of their Mirages just the same.

In spite of my low opinion of them, they are still selling cars. They still outgrew their original place and have since moved on to a new one. Moving to a nicer building hasn't changed my opinion of them.

If someone asks about my Mirage, I have no problem recommending one. Especially if someone wants a second car to use as a daily driver or just wants a dependable little economy car. If someone asks where they could buy one nearby, I wouldn't have a clue? In my mind, that's a problem Mitsubishi still needs to overcome. A newly formed relationship with Nissan hasn't improved their image in my mind either. Mitsubishi has great potential. People are starting to recognize the value of their product. Their dealership network, however, is a major obstacle.

As far as a product goes, the Eclipse Cross does well against similar products offered by other brands. For example, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross competes well against the new Jeep Compass. Slightly different vehicles maybe, but even the reviewers are surprised by the Eclipse Cross. One of them even says, "I think Mitsubishi got their Mojo back!"

2018 Jeep Compass vs Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross - see below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE6OjvSu6CI (drag race between the two)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHXfDy0xSoM (off road test)

I suspect Mitsu (and its dealers!) are disappointed at the low sales numbers of the Eclipse Cross. It's in the hottest segment, yet 2019 sales are basically even with the Mirage in its "dying" market segment.

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Originally Posted by Mark

For example, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross competes well against the new Jeep Compass.

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You're familiar with the phrase "damning with faint praise"?

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Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I suspect Mitsu (and its dealers!) are disappointed at the low sales numbers of the Eclipse Cross. It's in the hottest segment, yet 2019 sales are basically even with the Mirage in its "dying" market segment.

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I agree. From day one, however, I've wondered if there isn't enough differentiation between the Outlander Sport and the Eclipse Cross. I feel like they need to have one or the other, but not both. Too similar.

I'm too lazy to look up US pricing but here on the Mitsu Canada site it looks like there's under a $2000 price difference between the Outlander and Eclipse cross. But $5k gap between the RVR(Outlander sport) and the Eclipse cross. Unless I was tight on parking space and gas money, I'd just get the larger outlander. Bigger is better right? ;)

Edit: Just checked out the US site. What's so great about the Eclipse, according to the Mitsu USA site it shows the larger Outlander as being better on fuel and not much different in price. I see why the Eclipse would be a fail.

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Originally Posted by Fummins

I'm too lazy to look up US pricing but here on the Mitsu Canada site it looks like there's under a $2000 price difference between the Outlander and Eclipse cross. But $5k gap between the RVR(Outlander sport) and the Eclipse cross. Unless I was tight on parking space and gas money, I'd just get the larger outlander. Bigger is better right? ;)

Edit: Just checked out the US site. What's so great about the Eclipse, according to the Mitsu USA site it shows the larger Outlander as being better on fuel and not much different in price. I see why the Eclipse would be a fail.

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Agreed. IIRC, this was the conclusion most of us here came to before it was even released. In addition to having a stupid name, the Eclipse Cross is basically an Outlander Sport clone, only more expensive.

Why Mitsubishi decided to shoehorn this vehicle in between two very similar extant vehicles is a mystery. Unless the Outlander Sport's days are numbered, the Eclipse Cross is the answer to a question that nobody asked.

sub compact: Mirage
compact: G4
mid size: Lancer/EVO
CUV: ? conjecture since Eclipse cross is failing
create something new from a Nissan Kicks platform? rebadge it, call it the "Katana" or "Ninja Gaiden"
SUV: Outlander
small truck: revamped Mighty Max
big truck: Triton

easy peasy Japanesy, eat your heart out Ghosn

Mitsubishi hits the US market with that line up, its back to the golden era of the 90s. Toyota Honda would freak out. Hyundai would be curled up in a ball, naked, crying on the kitchen floor

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Originally Posted by Cobrajet

Agreed. IIRC, this was the conclusion most of us here came to before it was even released. In addition to having a stupid name, the Eclipse Cross is basically an Outlander Sport clone, only more expensive.

Why Mitsubishi decided to shoehorn this vehicle in between two very similar extant vehicles is a mystery. Unless the Outlander Sport's days are numbered, the Eclipse Cross is the answer to a question that nobody asked.

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The bottom line is that the Eclipse Cross doesn't even compete all that well against the models Mitsubishi already had. Mitsubishi dropped the 2.4L Outlander Sport (except in the GT) in 2019, because it really made the Eclipse Cross look even lamer in my opinion. The Eclipse Cross is not a bad vehicle, but it's also nothing special. Why waste time copying everyone else? Make something unique or different!

KIA has learned to do this, & it is working for them. Take the KIA Soul for example - it's a unique looking vehicle. It may not appeal to everyone. This one slightly different looking vehicle came out in 2009. Since 2009, the KIA Soul has outsold the entire line up of Mitsubishi. I added up the numbers. Since 2009, over 1,000,000 KIA Souls have been sold in the U.S.

Mitsubishi (all models) is under 800,000 during that same time frame. The KIA Soul has been around for quite some time now. When the next updated model comes out, it will probably continue to outsell the entire line up of Mitsubishi.

Make a car that looks like a square box, & people will take note of it. It's something different! Suzuki under estimated the demand of their latest square box (Jimny). Consumers are going gaga over them! It's a 1.5L (100 hp) square box on wheels, and people love it. Why? It's different than most everything else out there!

If you make the same thing as everything else, why would you go out of your way to buy a Mitsubishi? If you build a vehicle like a Ford Escape, people are going to buy the Ford Escape.

The Mirage is a little unique & odd for our U.S. market. That's why I have one in my driveway.

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Originally Posted by Mark

The Mirage is a little unique & odd for our U.S. market. That's why I have one in my driveway.

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Ditto. But odd doesn't sell many cars except to us oddballs, but we're few and far between.