Mitsubishi Motors of America Sells Its 1 Millionth Car in U.S.

Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America Inc. said Tuesday that its total sales of new vehicles in the United States has topped the 1 million mark.

The millionth vehicle, a 1992 Mitsubishi Expo sport wagon, was purchased by a San Bernardino couple on Oct. 31.

A spokesman for Mitsubishi said the company did not provide the buyers with any prizes or discounts.

Mitsubishi, one of the few automotive companies whose overall sales in the United States have not slipped precipitously in the past year, launched its own U.S. dealership network in 1982 after producing cars for Chrysler Corp. for nearly a decade. Currently, Mitsubishi has about 500 U.S. dealers.

Through Oct. 31, those dealers had sold 161,050 cars and trucks for Mitsubishi, down 2% from 163,732 in the first 10 months of 1990.

But Mitsubishi, which has introduced several new models this calendar year, has said it expects to equal or best its 1990 sales of 190,000 new vehicles.

Separately, MMSA--the U.S. import and distribution arm of Mitsubishi Motors Corp. of Tokyo--said its chief operating officer, Richard D. Recchia, has been named to the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, an affiliate of the National Commission Against Drunk Driving.