Starting January 1, 2009, Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) will have a new face -- the 59-year-old Shinichi Kurihara who will assume the mantle of President and CEO after heading the Product Management Office. Having directed Mitsubishi's marketing and brand development efforts, Kurihara plans to stringent Mitsubishi's brand attributes that differentiate the company from other automakers doing business in the U.S.

Kurihara plans to continue to push brands like the Eclipse Spyder, Outlander and Lancer, first introduced by his predecessor, MMNA CEO Hiroshi Harunari. As it stands, these models make up the majority of the company's sales volume in North America. With that Kurihara plans to reinforce these brands, reinvigorate Galant and Eclipse, and promote alternative propulsion brands like the all-electric iMiEV.