Diaz Named CEO of Mitsubishi’s N. American Unit

Fred Diaz, a former executive at Chrysler and Nissan, has been named president and CEO of North American operations for Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

He will begin his new assignment on April 1. He succeeds Ryujiro Kobashi, who is returning to MMC headquarters in Tokyo after four years in North America.

Diaz, 52, joined Nissan Motor Co. in 2013 from Fiat Chrysler Automobile NV, where he ran Chrysler operations in Mexico and Latin America. He was put in charge of Nissan’s U.S. sales and marketing activities and most recently has been focused on developing the company’s light-truck and commercial vehicle business in the region, Automotive News notes.

Nissan took control of MMC in 2016. Diaz will lead continuing efforts to bolster the Mitsubishi brand in North America.

MMC sales in the U.S. peaked at more than 345,000 units in 2002. Deliveries slumped below 58,000 units by 2012 but have been growing since then. Last year the brand’s sales in the U.S. climbed 8% to 103,700 vehicles according to Autodata Corp. Deliveries in January surged 31%.