FRANKLIN, Tenn., June 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is celebrating dealer partners who go above and beyond for their communities. They provide more than just a great place to buy a car – they help their hometowns thrive in the good times and heal in the challenging times. They rise to the occasion, whatever the occasion may be.
LaFontaine Mitsubishi is one of MMNA's newest dealer partners, opening showrooms this year in Ann Arbor, MI, and Lansing, MI. LaFontaine Automotive Group is the 30th largest dealer group in the U.S., now representing 58 auto franchises across 42 locations, all located in Michigan. The Group employs nearly 3,000 people. It's the ongoing mission of the LaFontaine family and passionate team members to personalize the automotive experience by building lifelong relationships that connect families and strengthen communities. "The LaFontaine Family Deal; it's not just what you get, it's how you feel."
FIVE QUESTIONS WITH MAX MUNCEY
Director of Corporate Communications, LaFontaine Mitsubishi, Ann Arbor/Lansing, MI
Can you tell us the history of LaFontaine Auto Group? The group was founded in 1980 by Michael and Maureen LaFontaine, husband and wife. Mike had been in the automotive retail space since the mid-1960s selling cars, and had the opportunity in 1979 to open his first dealership. We picked the best location ever, and I can't begin to say that more sarcastically; it was our first store, and it was an import store in Dearborn, MI. Talk about literally right into the lion's den with the Big Three mainly occupying the area geographically. Mike LaFontaine has stories of picketers in front of the dealership; it was a hard go!
That sounds like it must've been incredibly difficult! How did you rise above the competition to get to where your auto group is today? Our group would not be where it is today without that first import store in Dearborn. Out of the gate we really had to fight: fight for the market, fight to convince people why to buy a vehicle from an import brand, convince people in the backyard of one of the Big Three that there is a new brand of vehicle right here where all you see are cars made by domestic brands. That store was really Mike's store, and they had four young kids at home. Maureen was really a big advocate for staying out of the corporate world and the control that comes with it, so in 1984 they had the opportunity to buy a very, very tiny store in downtown Milford, where they sold domestic brands.
Mike stayed at the store in Dearborn and Maureen ran the Milford store, and they really had two different philosophies. Mike grew up in the car business around used car sales, and he's a car guy through and through. Maureen, on the other hand, was very focused on the community. How did the community welcome us in? How could we be a good partner to the community? How did our employees think of us? How did we treat our employees? All the way down to how the mat looked at the front door when you walk in. Are there flowers in the restrooms? That was her level of attention to detail.
That's amazing; who in time began to take the lead when it came to business between those two stores? They had small growth up until about the early 2000s. They still had the two stores; Mike was in Dearborn, and Maureen was in Milford. Here's a cool story about the Milford store and Maureen: when we bought that store, it had sold 39 units the year prior. 39 in a whole year, so when I say it was a small store, it really was. On day one, Maureen stood 4'9" and maybe 100 pounds on a good day — she's no longer with us, God bless her — but Maureen walked door to door in high heels around downtown Milford saying, "Hi, I'm Maureen LaFontaine. My family just opened a business here. How can I help YOU and this community?" So that idea of going out of our four walls and being part of the community was really Maureen's being and everything she encompassed. What we quickly realized was that idea makes sense, because the month after we bought the dealership, we sold 39 cars in one month, and they had sold 39 cars in the entire year prior. I kid you not: 39; it was the exact number.
Could you tell us more about where the LaFontaine group is today following that progress? Yes, so fast forward to now, their son Ryan LaFontaine is our CEO, and their daughter Kelly is our Vice President. Ryan really spearheads the business side of our automotive group, so the acquisitions, the growth, the automaker relationships, what we're doing, where we're going, the vision, that's all Ryan. Kelly really carries out her mom's legacy of all our philanthropic and community endeavors, how we represent ourselves in the community. We have a dedicated team of grassroots marketing representatives who report to Kelly and whose jobs are to not be in the dealership every day. Their job is to be out in the community at ribbon cuttings, fundraisers, school events, art in the park, etc. Since Ryan became our CEO in the early 2000s, it's been quite a sprint because we went from three stores to now 43 locations. I joined the group just over six years ago, and we had just 17 stores, so even in the last six years, we've gone from 17 to 43 stores. It's just crazy to think of how fast and how far we've grown!
That is impressive growth to see over just two decades! Is there anything the group is excited for as they open their first Mitsubishi stores? Yeah, we want to become the number one Mitsubishi retailer in the United States, ha! That's not a sarcastic comment, that's the goal. We also feel like we have an immense opportunity in our market because the brand is relatively unknown. We really want to grow the brand, and we're so excited to join at such a pivotal time in Mitsubishi's history and how the brand is recasting not only new products coming out, but also delivering the right guest experience. We look at it as whether we're selling a high-end exotic, a domestic brand, or an import brand, it's all about the guest experience.
There's no reason why we can't greet and take care of a guest the same way for a Mitsubishi than we do a guest who is interested in purchasing a high-end exotic. It's being personable, it's being honest, it's being transparent, it's being flexible, meeting the guest where they want to be met, and we will do white-glove pick up and delivery for Mitsubishi just as we do for our high-end brands because that's what matters to us to succeed as our own brand. It's not just another mark for us, it's not just another logo on our Rolodex of brands. We see an immense opportunity to grow with Mitsubishi and reshape how Mitsubishi is looked at as a brand for years to come, and that's where our excitement level is at.For more information on the full lineup of Mitsubishi vehicles, visit MitsubishiCars.com.
ABOUT MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Through a network of approximately 330 dealer partners across the United States, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is responsible for the sales, marketing, and customer service of Mitsubishi Motors vehicles in the U.S. MMNA's recently announced five-year business plan – "Momentum 2030" – outlines the brand's mid-term intentions for product and business transformation. MMNA will expand and refresh its vehicle lineup in the U.S. with one new or completely refreshed model to debut each year between now and 2030. Powered by a selection of advanced-technology internal combustion engines, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and battery electrics, the product line will nearly double from today's four vehicles. Momentum 2030 also includes a vision for a modernized retail sales model and plans for network expansion and sales growth.
MMNA has its headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee, as well as corporate operations in California, Georgia, Michigan, and New Jersey.
For more information on MMNA, visit media.mitsubishicars.com.
Contact
Jeremy Barnes
Senior Director, Communications and Events
jeremy.barnes@na.mitsubishi-motors.com
Mobile: 615-970-8395
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SOURCE Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.
