The Mitsubishi Vehicle Purchase Program is now available!

Working closely with officials at the both the local plant and at MMNA’s home office in California, the Central Illinois Mitsubishi Task Force has come up with a cooperative purchasing program that provides all Central Illinois businesses and government entities access to very attractive pricing discounts on locally produced Mitsubishi vehicles. Download this PDF document for more information.

Mayor and Executive Director Attend CAR Meeting - top of page

On Friday, April 29, Town of Normal Mayor Chris Koos and EDC Executive Director Marty Vanags attended a meeting of the Automotive Communities Program, sponsored by the Center for Automotive Research. The program was held in Battle Creek, Michigan, at the DENSO automotive parts plant. DENSO is a major parts supplier to a wide variety of automotive manufacturers. Attending the meeting were approximately 40 representatives from upper Midwest automotive communities and Canadian provinces.

The presentations included one by Stanley Tooley, senior vice president of DENSO Manufacturing Michigan, Inc., who gave an overview of the history of DENSO in Michigan and its operations. DENSO is one of the largest parts manufacturing companies in the world. It was created by Toyota in the late forties and early fifties to supply Toyota plants with parts, but has long ago diversified its customer base to include other Japanese, foreign and domestic manufacturers. In the Battle Creek plant they primarily manufacture air conditioning systems, heaters and other environmental systems for vehicles.

Following the presentation by Mr. Tooley, a presentation was given by Jim Hettinger, president and CEO of Battle Creek Unlimited, an economic development group dedicated to the long-term economic health of Battle Creek and, in particular, the development of the Ft. Custer Industrial Park where DENSO is located. Hettinger provided an overview of how the park came into existence and the way Japanese recruitment and parts suppliers had an impact.

In addition, CAR provided information on the current statistics and trends in automobile manufacturing in the United States. Current employment in auto manufacturing is down 17.3 percent over the past five years. Likewise, motor vehicle parts manufacturing is down 17.8 percent over the past five years in the U.S. CAR is predicting 16.6 million vehicles will be built in the U.S. this year, rising to 17.1 million in 2006.

Finally, CAR staff presented information on regional economic modeling and a database of suppliers they are offering the communities involved in their program. Click here to download the PowerPoint presentation.

Recent News Articles on the Internet - top of page

Redesigned Mitsubishi Eclipse should sticker just below outgoing model; vehicle to hit showrooms by June by Kathy Jackson, AutoWeek.