Mitsubishi Motors North America officials announced Tuesday that the automaker will relocate its headquarters to Franklin, Tn. from Cypress, Calif.
Mitsubishi Motors’ move represents an investment in the county of $18.25 million and brings approximately 200 jobs to Williamson County.
Since 1988, Mitsubishi Motors North America has been rooted in California.
The relocation to Franklin will begin in August and be completed by the end of 2019. All departments will be relocating, including sales, marketing, IT, human resources, communications, parts and services, product planning, dealer operations, finance and legal.
Initially, Mitsubishi Motors will transfer operations to a temporary office in Franklin. Beyond that, the company is working with commercial real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle to identify permanent offices.
Officials said, "The move is part of an ongoing plan to reinvent every aspect of Mitsubishi Motors in the U.S., from corporate leadership to dealer partners to every touchpoint in a customer’s relationship. It will sharpen the company’s focus on future growth and innovation.
"Mitsubishi Motors’ move highlights efforts taken across the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance to bring the companies closer together in key areas, including procurement, development and cost efficiencies. The choice of Franklin brings Mitsubishi Motors closer to its sister company, Nissan, which has its North American headquarters in Williamson County."
Since 2013, headquarters jobs have grown by 37 percent in Tennessee, the fastest rate of growth among states in the Southeast.
Governor Bill Lee said, "The reputation of Tennessee’s business climate and skilled workforce has attracted countless world-class businesses to our state. Over the years, Tennessee has become the epicenter of the Southeast’s thriving automotive sector, and I’m proud Mitsubishi Motors will call Franklin its U.S. home and bring 200 high-quality jobs to Middle Tennessee.”
Tennessee Economic Development Director Bob Rolfe said, “While traveling in Japan last week, Governor Lee and I met with Mitsubishi’s global executives to convince them why Tennessee is the ideal place for the company to conduct business. Mitsubishi Motors’ decision to relocate its U.S. headquarters from California to Franklin underscores Tennessee’s growing profile as a hub for U.S. and international companies. Tennessee will continue to actively recruit quality headquarters jobs from higher-cost coastal states, and we are honored Mitsubishi will make this significant investment in Williamson County.”