The CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL), Shaun Westcott, has stepped down from the role after five years in the top job.
According to The Australian, Mr Westcott resigned from his position as the Japanese auto brand’s local chief last week, but the company has so far chosen not to announce the move.
“MMAL can confirm that Shaun Westcott has made the decision to resign as CEO,” a spokesperson for the company confirmed to CarExpert today following enquiries.
“We thank him for his contribution and impact during his time with MMAL and wish him all the best with his future endeavours.”
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Mr Westcott arrived in Australia from South Africa in 2017, with a long history of senior company appointments – beginning with Coca-Cola in the mid-1990s.
A year after joining Mitsubishi in 2019, Mr Westcott was promoted to chairman and CEO – though he stepped down from his position as chairman in March 2024.
In 2019, Mitsubishi was Australia’s fourth best-selling brand – with 83,250 vehicles sold – however, increasing competition from Chinese automakers has seen the company drop to seventh position on the charts, as of last month.
Mitsubishi ended 2024 in fifth position, recording 75,000 sales – a 17.5 per cent increase on the previous year.
This year, sales have dropped not only due to tough competition, but also because Mitsubishi was forced to end imports of the popular ASX, Eclipse Cross and Pajero Sport SUVs as they didn’t meet a new Australian Design Rule (ADR) concerning autonomous emergency braking systems.
While the company secured stock of these vehicles prior to the ADR’s commencement date of March 1, 2025, sales for the brand are nevertheless down by 15.6 per cent compared to January-August of last year.
During his time at the company, Mr Westcott oversaw the continued transition towards SUVs and commercial vehicles – including the short-lived return of the Mitsubishi Express van.
In 2022, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries – the lobby group representing most of the major car manufacturers in Australia – appointed Mr Westcott as Deputy Chairman.
“From a Mitsubishi perspective, we have been selling vehicles in Australia for 45 years, and we intend to be here for the foreseeable future, and beyond,” Mr Westcott told CarExpert in May 2025.
“You can’t buy history like that, or the affinity with the Australian market that it creates.”
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