Latest news with #Chaffin
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Mitsubishi to launch first mass-market 'gallery dealership' in Nashville
Mitsubishi Motors North America plans to open the first retail sales gallery dealership for a mass-market brand in the Nashville area early next year. As it relates to the auto industry, retail sales gallery dealerships are most commonly found in malls. These storefronts only have a select few display vehicles onsite and are a marketing tool for brands to have a presence in high traffic areas. While retail sales gallery dealerships are typically exclusive for luxury cars, according to a release, Mitsubishi will open the first of its kind dealership in Antioch by early 2026. Poised to break ground in August, the gallery dealership will be located at 4230 Century Farms Terrace Suite 106. The storefront will become an extension of the Murfreesboro-based dealership City Auto Mitsubishi. 'I often receive letters from customers saying they saw our car on the road, that they love the design and love the value proposition we offer, but have no Mitsubishi dealer partner nearby to make a purchase,' MMNA president and CEO Mark Chaffin said in a release. 'In my mind, we are underrepresented with a presence in about one-third of the new car markets across the U.S.' Located off Exit 60 on Interstate 24, the gallery dealership will join Century Farms — a more than 300-acre development home to Tanger Outlet Mall and the Nashville Soccer Club's training facility. The area is also poised to welcome In-N-Out, Chick-fil-A, Whataburger and four new hotels. The move is part of Mitsubishi Motors Momentum 2030, the brand's five-year push for growth. 'Mitsubishi Motors is on the cusp of a full brand-wide reinvention in the United States, with our Momentum 2030 roadmap charting our path forwards,' Chaffin said. 'One of our strengths is that we are both small and nimble, enabling us to make fast decisions and pivot as necessary. But our small dealer-network across the U.S. limits our ability to grow our share and sales volume.' 'Our gallery dealership program is key to not only achieve that growth in volume, but also to raise the experience to better meet shoppers' expectations in a modern, busy retail world,' Chaffin said. Along with revamping its retail sales model, the business plan will also prioritize a path to electrification and an expanded product lineup. Additionally, the MMNA announced a new hybrid powertrain for the 2026 Outlander, an updated 2026 Outlander Plug-in Hybrid and an all-new battery EV by summer 2026. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Mitsubishi to open gallery dealership in Nashville's Antioch
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Following trade missions, state to launch global business incubator in Albuquerque
May 13—SANTA FE — New Mexico is opening its doors to foreign companies seeking to get a foothold in the United States, as state officials announced plans Tuesday to set up a new business incubator in Albuquerque's Mesa del Sol area. Seven companies from India and Oman will make up the initial tenants of the NMexus Center, which will be housed in an existing building under a lease agreement set to begin June 1. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said during a Tuesday news conference the new initiative could eventually lead to 1,500 new jobs being created over the next five years, though that would depend on whether the companies decide to ramp up local operations. The governor, along with state and local economic development officials, also predicted the business hub could eventually serve up to 40 companies per year. "Don't think of it as a soft landing — think of it as a launch pad," Lujan Grisham said of the new business accelerator during Tuesday's news conference, which took place during the SelectUSA investment summit at a Maryland convention center. She also said the business incubator would help the companies that set up in New Mexico with logistical issues, including relocation challenges and legal necessities. The seven initial companies are involved in the manufacturing, packaging, data privacy, water and food industries, said state Economic Development Department spokesman Chris Chaffin. They include Zonap Engineering India and Alligator Automations, also from India. Chaffin said no state economic development initiatives were being offered to lure the companies to New Mexico, but left open the possibility that such incentives could be provided if any of the companies eventually decide to expand their footprint in the state. 'Investing and taking risks' The state's latest economic development grew out of a 10-day trade mission to India that Lujan Grisham led last summer. The NMexus Center will be led by Amar Vikil, a Chicago-based business consultant who has worked with firms that help companies find offshore partners. He said the overseas partners involved in the initiative decided to invest in New Mexico, and the Mesa del Sol site in particular, due to its affordability, connectivity and access to nearby national laboratories and research institutions. "New Mexico believes in investing and taking risks," Vikil said during Tuesday's news conference. Specifically, the state announced partnerships with four foreign groups — the Oman Business Network, the Traders Advocacy Group of Ghana, the Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Hyderabad, India, and the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, India. Those partners will function as "matchmakers" of sorts to help identify other possible companies seeking to expand their operations into the United States, Chaffin said. If successful, the new initiative could help diversify a state economy long reliant on tourism, federal government spending and the oil and natural gas industries. Specifically, New Mexico ranked among the highest states in federal spending per capita as of 2021, due largely to having the nation's largest percentage of residents enrolled in Medicaid, according to the nonprofit USAFacts. Center to launch amid economic uncertainty State Economic Development Secretary Rob Black said a delegation of business leaders from India and Ghana will travel to Albuquerque for an official groundbreaking. That event is scheduled to take place next week. "We're excited about the future, and we're also excited about how we're going to get to that future," Black said Tuesday. But the new initiative will launch during a time of global economic uncertainty, after President Donald Trump announced tariffs on imports from other countries last month. Some of those tariffs have been pushed back as the Trump administration negotiates with foreign governments, but the trade war has generated concern about the possibility of higher prices for imported goods. Meanwhile, the NMexus Center will represent a new step for New Mexico, but does not appear to be unprecedented on a national level. The Virginia Beach International Incubator, for instance, helps foreign companies that "need space to grow their sales volume" before expanding local operations, according to its website. But state and local economic development officials said New Mexico is particularly well situated to benefit from such an initiative, given its equidistant location between California and the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., who also spoke at Tuesday's news conference in the Washington, D.C., area, described the new center as a promising development. "We are ready to bring international companies to employ our people," said Stansbury.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Mitsubishi Motors Confirms All-new Battery-electric Vehicle Will Be Sold in North America Starting Summer 2026
This BEV model represents a huge step in the Company's recently announced Momentum 2030 product strategy for the U.S. market The new BEV will be sold alongside the Outlander Plug-in Hybrid, the world's first plug-in hybrid SUV 1 The new BEV will be sourced from Mitsubishi Motors' Alliance partner, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., and based on the next-generation Nissan LEAF Announcement reinforces strength of the Momentum 2030 long-term North American business plan FRANKLIN, Tenn., May 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) today confirmed the next step in the brand's march toward its North American business plan, dubbed Momentum 2030. Among other commitments, the plan promised the launch of "a new or significantly revised vehicle every year between 2026 and 2030." That promise has already started with the recent debut of the new 2025 Outlander SUV. Mitsubishi Motors Momentum 2030 Lineup Today's announcement confirms that Mitsubishi Motors will work with its Alliance partner, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., to bring a battery electric vehicle (BEV) to market in the United States and Canada. The vehicle will be based on the next-generation Nissan LEAF, and will be available starting in summer 2026, at dealer partners across both countries. More details about the vehicle, including naming, imagery, technical specifications, pricing and on-sale timing will be the subject of future announcements. "Mitsubishi Motors is on an upward trajectory, especially in the United States," said Mark Chaffin, president and CEO, MMNA. "When we launched the Momentum 2030 long-term business plan to our dealer partners last May, there was a buzz in the room about an exciting future, but there was a desire for more concrete timing and plans. Today's announcement is the first of many to come that reinforce our commitment to the U.S. market, to providing the best vehicles we can for our customers, and ensuring a long and healthy future for our company in the U.S. and globally." Chaffin continued, "Momentum 2030 is more than a business plan, it is a rallying cry for our company, for our employees, for our dealer partners, and for our loyal and new customers. Our plan is clear, our path is mapped out. The addition of this new battery-electric vehicle to our lineup will deliver a blend of internal combustion engines, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, so that our customers have the choice of technology that best suits their needs." The path to Mitsubishi Motors Momentum 2030 is defined by four key points:
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Bronzden Chaffin's emotional side led to Upperman's to first-ever TSSAA basketball state title game
MURFREESBORO — Bronzden Chaffin picked up the basketball, secured it in his right hand and flung it as far as he could towards the ceiling of the Murphy Center. Screaming and flexing throughout the afternoon, Chaffin showed more emotion than anyone on the court during Friday's Class 3A semifinal between Upperman and Greeneville. And as the Bees' 55-47 win became official, the junior's teammates joined in the display. The Bees (31-3) advanced to the TSSAA boys basketball state tournament championship game, where they'll face Tullahoma (32-4). Before Friday, they were 0-4 in state semifinal games, including a loss to Fulton last season. Now they have a chance to win the first title in program history. It's especially sweet for Chaffin, who's come achingly close to a championship in not one, but two sports. As a sophomore in 2023, he started at quarterback for Upperman's football team, which lost to Pearl-Cohn in the Class 4A BlueCross Bowl, and helped the Bees reach the state basketball semifinals as well. Last football season, Chaffin guided the Bees to another undefeated regular season before eventual champion Macon County brought their run to an end. "It's crazy," Chaffin said. "We work at this every day in both programs. Our school is known for a good program in sports. We love to work for it, and this is always our end goal." On Friday, Chaffin came up huge on both ends of the floor. He began the game defending Greeneville's Trey Thompson, a Mr. Basketball finalist with offers from Tennessee and Purdue, and held him scoreless in the first quarter despite giving up four inches of height. After halftime, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound forward gave Upperman a needed secondary scoring punch to complement Mr. Basketball winner Ty Cobb, who finished with 33 points. Chaffin helped the Bees extend their lead from 18-17 to 38-27 with eight points in the third quarter. "I just knew to let the game come to me," Chaffin said. "We have one of the best sophomores in the state, so they're gonna bring a lot of focus on him and we'll get the rest of the team involved." Then with 6:54 to play, Chaffin showed the athleticism and size that's made him such a sought-after football recruit. He turned the corner on Thompson, drove from the perimeter and threw down a one-handed dunk to send Upperman fans into a frenzy. MORE: TSSAA boys basketball state tournament brackets, schedule and scores "(Thompson) was coming behind me, and he's 6-8," Chaffin said. "I was just trying to jump as high as I could." Chaffin threw for 1,383 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2024 and also had 1,115 yards and 15 TDs on the ground. He has offers from Middle Tennessee State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State and Southern Mississippi. While his college future's on the gridion, Upperman basketball coach Bobby McWilliams raves about how much Chaffin's grown on the court — growth which has the Bees one win from a gold ball. "Our guys are going to do what the game presents and what's necessary," McWilliams said. "He just was a little bit more aggressive tonight." Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@ and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA boys basketball state tournament 2025: Bronzden Chaffin sparks Upperman
