Mitsubishi is planning to end operations at its Normal, Illinois plant and notify workers at the end of September of their plans to close the facility after failing to find a buyer for the plant, Reuters (via Automotive News) reported.
It’s unclear what may happen to the 900 hourly workers who make Mitsubishi Outlanders if a buyer for the plant isn’t found by November. According to the report, last year the plant churned out nearly 70,000 crossovers.
Mitsubishi and the United Auto Workers union this month were negotiating a contract for the workers that would extend to the original closing date for the plant, which was slated for next spring.
The Normal plant was extended $29 million in tax incentives by Illinois in 2011 to keep the plant open for 10 years. The Bloomington Pantagraph reported that Mitsubishi officials sought approval for another year’s worth of tax incentives five weeks before they announced the plant was closing in July.
The plant was opened in 1988 as a joint venture between Chrysler and Mitsubishi and the Japanese company took sole ownership in 1991. Subaru of America’s Lafayette, Indiana plant is roughly 100 miles from the Mitsubishi plant and was considered to be a potential buyer for the plant.
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