UPDATE 1-Mitsubishi Motors names N. America chief executive

DETROIT, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T) said on Tuesday that Shinichi Kurihara will succeed Hiroshi Harunari as president and chief executive of Mitsubishi Motors North America on Jan. 1.

Kurihara, 59, is senior executive officer in product strategy, directing product planning worldwide and long-term marketing and brand development.

The new assignment is his third in the United States. He served in product planning and marketing for Mitsubishi Motors in the country from 1984 to 1988 and was senior vice president of product strategy in North America from 1996 to 2001.

Mitsubishi is a small player in the United States, with light vehicle sales down about 24 percent through October at 87,591 representing less than 1 percent of the market.

Harunari will return to Japan for reassignment following the completion of a three-year term at the top of the North American unit. His focus was improving communications with dealers and fiscal responsibility in day-to-day operations. (Reporting by David Bailey, editing by Richard Chang)