Freightliner dealers to sell Mitsubishi trucks: report

TOKYO (April 3, 2002) — Mitsubishi Motors Corp. intends to outsource truck sales in North America to Freightliner LLC, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Quoting sources close the matter, the newspaper said the deal would apply to trucks with two- to four-ton payloads. Mitsubishi has roughly 150 dealer locations in Canada and the United States. Freightliner, through its Freightliner Trucks, Sterling Trucks, and Western Star divisions, has more than 700. Mitsubishi would continue to sell trucks through its existing sales channels, the report said.

DaimlerChrysler owns Freightliner LLC and is a leading shareholder in Mitsubishi Motors. Last year, DaimlerChrysler acquired Volvo AB’s 3.3% stake in Mitsubishi, giving the German auto and truck maker a 37.3% share of the company.

In North America, the Japanese truck maker offers 10 different medium-duty truck models ranging from 12,000 pounds GVWR to 32,900 pounds GVWR. Its operating division, Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks of America, is based in Bridgeport, N.J., and has a Canadian office in Mississauga, Ont.