Mitsubishi Motors Australia CEO Shaun Westcott steps down
The boss of Mitsubishi Motors’ Australian operations has quit amid unprecedented disruption in the automotive sector.
The Adelaide-based chief executive of the Australian arm of Japanese automotive giant Mitsubishi Motors, Shaun Westcott, has resigned after more than five years in the role.
Mr Westcott, who has also served as deputy chair of industry body the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), joined Mitsubishi Motors Australia in 2019 before taking on the CEO role in April 2020.
His departure comes amid a shake up of Australia’s automotive sector, including an influx of Chinese manufacturers into the local market and new fuel efficiency standards introduced earlier this year.
In a brief statement, a Mitsubishi Motors Australia spokesman confirmed Mr Westcott’s departure, and said the company had commenced a search for his replacement.
“Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) can confirm that Shaun Westcott has made the decision to resign as CEO,” the spokesman said.
“We thank him for his contribution and impact during his time with MMAL and wish him all the best with his future endeavours.
“Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is currently working through a replacement for Shaun and will advise when a decision has been made.”
Mr Westcott, who left the role at the end of last week, has been contacted for comment.
As one of the leading state’s leading executives, Mr Westcott has regularly featured in The Advertiser’s Power 100 list of the state’s most influential people.
The South African businessman joined Mitsubishi in 2019 as deputy director of aftersales, before being promoted to the top job just a year later, replacing predecessor John Signoriello.
He’d earlier arrived in Adelaide on a skilled visa in 2017 after his family experienced a spate of violent incidents in his homeland that left his family traumatised and fearful for their safety.
As a member of the Committee for Adelaide and as chair of the Industry Leaders Fund Scholars Network, Mr Westcott has spoken out about the importance of innovation in driving the South Australian economy forward, while also warning of a potential “bloodbath” in Australia’s automotive industry due to the entry of low-cost Chinese brands into the domestic market.
“Our country doesn’t have an industry to protect, everyone thinks this is the place to be, we don’t have any tariffs, we don’t have any barriers,” he said in a recent interview.
“There’s going to be a plethora of new brands who have economic troubles, where they have excess capacity, they will look for places to dump their cars.
“We’re going to go into a period of excess supply, and not everybody will survive that, and there’s going to be a bit of a bloodbath.”
According to the FCAI’s latest VFACTS data, Mitsubishi sold 42,913 vehicles in Australia in the first eight months of 2025, making it the sixth biggest brand behind Toyota, Mazda, Ford, Kia and Hyundai.
But the Chinese manufacturers are closing in, with BYD, GWM, MG and Chery all featuring in the top 10 brands sold in the domestic market.
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Originally published as Mitsubishi Motors Australia CEO Shaun Westcott steps down
