After five years in the role, Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Westcott has exited the business before executing a plan to introduce eight box-fresh models to local showrooms.
Mitsubishi Australia boss Shaun Westcott has resigned after five years in the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) role, without the brand naming a successor.
A statement from Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) has confirmed the exit on the eve of the Japanese brand beginning to rebuild its showroom after axing more than half its models earlier in the year.
“MMAL can confirm that Shaun Westcott has made the decision to resign as CEO,” said the statement.
“We thank him for his contribution and impact during his time with MMAL and wish him all the best with his future endeavours.”
Westcott began his tenure in April 2020, having been promoted from the Aftersales Deputy Director position, and succeeding John Signoriello, who moved to Japan as Mitsubishi’s Global Head of Sales and Marketing.
During his time in as CEO, Westcott oversaw the launch of the reborn Express van in 2020, fourth-generation Outlander in 2021, updated Eclipse Cross in the same year, and new Triton in early 2024.
However, the during his time as CEO, Mitsubishi Australia also discontinued the Express after only 22 months on sale after being slapped with a zero-star safety rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) – stymying its sales potential for businesses that mandate a five-star rating for its fleets.
The ASX, Eclipse Cross, and Pajero Sport were also forced into retirement earlier this year due to failing to meet the level of new safety regulations that require specific car-to-car autonomous emergency braking (AEB) technology.
The ASX small SUV will return to Australian showrooms later this year, with Mitsubishi tapping Alliance-partner Renault to build the new model that shares its underpinnings with the Captur.
The Pajero Sport will also be succeeded in 2026, the model likely rebranded as the reborn Pajero, but still sharing its architecture and powertrain technologies with the Triton ute.
Westcott put forward a plan in mid-2024 to bring eight all-new or heavily refreshed models to Mitsubishi Australia dealerships by the end of the decade, which also include more hybrids and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) to help comply with the New Vehicle Emissions Scheme (NVES).
The first electric vehicle (EV) from the brand since the discontinuation of the i-MiEV in 2014 will be a Taiwanese-sourced model from Foxtron – a subsidiary of iPhone-maker Foxconn – and is due to arrive in the second half of 2026.
A new all-electric Eclipse Cross has also been shown overseas, based on the Renault Scenic E-Tech, which the brand has its hand up to sell in Australia.
With Westcott’s immediate departure from Mitsubishi, seeing this planned product rollout will fall to his yet-to-be-confirmed successor.
In his first full year in the top job, Mitsubishi Australia sales hit 67,732 in 2021, while 2024 sales tallied 74,547 units.
Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
