The changes are part of a midterm global business plan Mitsubishi has dubbed “Jump 2013,” aimed at increasing production capacity in emerging markets like China, Russia and India and adjusting production to meet “natural demand” in mature markets like North America.

MMNA sold 55,683 vehicles in the U.S. in 2010, up 3 percent from 2009. That lagged the industry’s overall rebound of about 11 percent as automakers began to bounce back from one of the worst years in recent memory.

Mitsubishi’s U.S. sales peaked at about 345,000 vehicles nearly a decade ago.

Now, Mitsubishi’s goal is to increase global sales by more than a third in the next three years — from an estimated 1 million vehicles at the end of the fiscal year March 31 to almost 1.4 million vehicles by spring 2014. The bulk of that increase — 280,000 vehicles — would come from emerging markets, according to MMC’s plan. It expects sales to increase by 90,000 vehicles in mature markets, including the U.S., Western Europe and Japan.

And despite a loss of four models and a gain of one, Irvin said it’s a positive step for the plant.

“We’re confident it’s going to net more production,” he said.