Keith Lawrence Joins Mitsubishi Motors North America as Executive Vice President of Fixed Operations

CYPRESS, Calif., April 18 -- Keith D. Lawrence today joins Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) as executive vice president of fixed operations. Lawrence comes to MMNA from Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) in Tokyo, where he served as senior executive advisor, working primarily in strategic global quality improvement operations. In his new position, Lawrence will be responsible for MMNA's customer service and parts operations along with procurement.

"We are extremely pleased to have Keith as part of our North American team," said Rich Gilligan, chief executive officer, MMNA. "His extensive international and regional experience and strategic knowledge will be very beneficial to our company's customer service efforts, our procurement and parts operations, as well as the entire organization."

Prior to his post as senior executive advisor for MMC in Tokyo, Lawrence served as executive vice president of procurement and supply for Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America, Inc. (MMMA), overseeing day-to-day purchasing operations and developing and coordinating MMMA's domestic and international purchasing strategies.

Before joining MMMA in 1999, Lawrence was vice president of purchasing for A.G. Simpson, Inc., one of Canada's largest automotive suppliers, responsible for purchasing activities for more than 10 facilities worldwide. He also was responsible for transportation and logistics operations for A.G. Simpson's Toronto-based headquarters.

Prior to his position with A.G. Simpson, Lawrence served as director of purchasing for FAG Bearing Limited, headquartered in Stratford, Ontario, and was responsible for managing the automotive supply chain for FAG Bearing Limited's North American automotive operations.

Lawrence's background also includes serving as purchasing manager for Chrysler Technologies in Dallas, Texas, from 1986 to 1992, responsible for all domestic and international sourcing for the operations, which included large aircraft modification and general manufacturing facilities. He also worked for Texas Instruments from 1983 to 1986, holding positions in sales and subcontract management.

Lawrence served in the military as an Army Captain in both infantry and logistic positions. Mr. Lawrence holds a master's degree in business from Amber University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for all manufacturing, finance, sales, marketing, research and development operations of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation in the United States and Canada. Mitsubishi Motors sells coupes, convertibles, sedans and sport utility vehicles through a network of approximately 625 dealers. For more information, contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at (888) 560-6672 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com.