Mitsubishi has kicked its agency review into high gear as it starts the countdown to the September 1998 launch of its car brand in Canada.

Bob Skinner, marketing director for MMSA Distribution Services Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of Mitsubishi Motor launched last March, says he is inviting a select group of 10 agencies and agency alliances to pitch for the account and expects to make a final decision by early December.

Skinner says a budget has not been finalized. However, a u.s. trade publication has estimated the Canadian business to be worth us$15-$20 million.

Skinner, no stranger to the automotive industry, is new to MMSA Canada. His former post with ACNielsen lasted two-and-a-half years, before which he was national sales and operations manager at Honda Canada. During his six years at Honda, Skinner was instrumental in the start-up of the Acura division. Before Honda, he worked for 12 years at General Motors of Canada.