Mitsubishi Names Product Planner to Head U.S. Unit

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. has named Gayu Uesugi, the company's top product planner, to take over as chairman of its struggling North American operations. The appointment begins on Thursday.

Yoichi Yokozawa will continue as CEO of the North American unit, which hasn't had a chairman for five years.

Uesugi, 60, is an executive vice president and member of MMC's board of directors. The company credits him with leading a successful product strategy in such emerging markets as China and Russia.

MMC says Uesugi's mission will be to launch an unspecified initiative to "further revitalize" the company's underutilized assembly plant in Normal, Ill. The facility is scheduled to produce 50,000 Outlander Sport crossover vehicles annually, exporting half its output.

The company has sold only 46,100 vehicles in the U.S. so far this year, down 30% from the same period in 2011, according to Autodata Corp. Over the past year the company phased the Endeavor crossover and Eclipse sport coupe and Spyder convertible, sparking speculation that it might abandon the American market.