Mitsubishi Motors will shutter its SUV manufacturing facility in Japan by 2023 in order to reduce capacity.
In This Article...
Will Mitsubishi ever cease creating automobiles?
Mitsubishi refutes claims that it will stop creating automotive platforms for the Japanese market. Mitsubishi has refuted a rumor that it will quit creating car chassis for the Japanese market and exclusively market Nissan models with a badge-engineered makeover.
Is Mitsubishi about to leave America?
Due to product overlap with its partners Nissan and Renault, Mitsubishi has scaled back significantly. Under the new plan, Nissan will handle North America and China, while Renault fills in the gaps in Europe and the UK, and Mitsubishi will concentrate on Asia-Pacific markets.
Despite fears that Mitsubishi would completely abandon North America, the firm just last week revealed plans to update its lineup, with the next-generation Outlander leading the charge in 2021 and a PHEV Outlander powertrain update at the end of this year to improve performance and range. In order to complete Mitsubishi’s ongoing recovery from its collapse in the mid-2000s, the company will also revamp the Eclipse crossover and the Mirage, which has witnessed gradually rising sales since its introduction (not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic). The company noted that it is still looking for new ways to get a piece of the megamarket pie here in the United States as it today announced the opening of a new dealership franchise with the Little Rock, Arkansas-based Steve Landers Cowboy Mitsubishi. Since most OEMs rarely consider a new dealer collaboration to be major news, Mitsubishi’s announcement sticks out; in fact, the action strengthens its commitment here in the United States.
According to Steve Smidlein, manager of Mitsubishi Motors of North America’s central region in the United States, “Mitsubishi Motors is committed to expanding our dealer footprint now more than ever as we get ready for all-new and significantly refreshed Mitsubishi vehicles to begin entering showrooms within the next 12 months.
We’re optimistic that Mitsubishi will continue to exist for years to come despite their leadership being dissatisfied with the rate of growth as their annual revenues finally reach levels seen prior to the 2008 financial crisis. We’ll have to wait and see how the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance develops before we can say with certainty what that looks like in ten or more years.
Is Mitsubishi having issues?
On July 27, 2020, Mitsubishi (a member of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance) made a slew of unfavorable announcements, beginning with an appalling financial report. The Japanese corporation expects an operational loss of 140 billion yen ($1.33 billion) for the fiscal year that ends in March 2021.
What is Mitsubishi experiencing?
Car brands are often reliable; they don’t quite fall into the “too big to fail” category, but they are strong enough to withstand the ups and downs of the economy. In actuality, just three automakers have stopped selling automobiles in Ireland over the past 20 years.
Saab and MG Rover both went out of business in 2011. After briefly promising to introduce a full range to Ireland, Chevrolet chose not to in 2014 and withdrew from the rest of Europe. Beyond those, it’s unusual for a car manufacturer or brand to completely vanish from the scene.
This is why the Mitsubishi situation is so peculiar. Like it will throughout the rest of Europe and the UK, Mitsubishi will cease operations in Ireland in 2021. Since 2016, the Japanese company has been a member of the French-Japanese Renault-Nissan Alliance after being acquired following a scandal involving false fuel economy claims.
Although it didn’t have the same financial or public impact as the Volkswagen diesel disaster, it was nonetheless significant enough to drive Mitsubishi’s stock price below the waterline and prompt Renault-Nissan to make an offer.
Mitsubishi’s situation hasn’t really improved since then. A significant turnaround plan has been implemented as a result of the Covid-19 problem, which caused a tidal wave of negative cash flow for Renault-Nissan. The biggest victim of this approach is Mitsubishi’s position in Europe. Nissan will now have a lesser European portfolio and will instead focus on the US, China, and Japan, making Renault the group’s key European brand in terms of Europe.
The current task for Mitsubishi is to focus on the markets in Australia and Southeast Asia. The brand is essentially being discontinued in Europe and is now doing so in Ireland. New vehicles, such as updated versions of the Outlander SUV, Eclipse Sport crossover, and L200 pickup, won’t be homologated for Europe, and there won’t be any factory deliveries of new products. Dealers will liquidate their present inventory, but what exactly will happen after that?
Why isn’t Mitsubishi more well-known?
Fewer than some luxury automakers, 46,021 automobiles were produced in the United States. That’s partly because Mitsubishi can’t advertise its products as broadly because it doesn’t have the same big coffers as many of its rivals. It also results from Mitsubishi’s constrained product selection, which mostly consists of crossovers and tiny cars with little variety. Additionally, the fact that the Mitsubishi dealer network is so much smaller and more dispersed than that of other marques doesn’t help the situation. To make matters worse, Mitsubishi models
Is Nissan evolving into Mitsubishi?
The RenaultNissanMitsubishi Alliance, formerly known as the RenaultNissan Alliance, is a French-Japanese strategic alliance between the automakers Nissan, based in Yokohama, Japan, Mitsubishi Motors, based in Tokyo, Japan, and Renault, based in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. Together, these three companies sell more than one in every nine vehicles globally. With over 450,000 people and influence over eight key brands (Renault, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Infiniti, Renault Samsung, Dacia, Alpine, and Venucia), Renault and Nissan have been strategic partners since 1999. The auto industry group, which produces the majority of light vehicles globally, sold 10.6 million vehicles in 2017. One year after Nissan purchased a controlling stake in Mitsubishi and subsequently became Mitsubishi an equal partner in the Alliance, the Alliance changed its name in September 2017.
With over 1 million light-duty electric vehicle sales worldwide since 2009, the Alliance is one of the top manufacturers of electric vehicles as of December 2021. The Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe all-electric cars are the best-selling models in their EV lineup.
A merger or acquisition is not involved in the strategic cooperation between Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi. A cross-sharing arrangement ties the three businesses together. When the auto industry began to consolidate in the 1990s, this structure stood out. It later served as a model for General Motors, the PSA Group, Mitsubishi, the Volkswagen Group, and Suzuki, albeit the latter union was a failure. The Alliance has expanded significantly, establishing new alliances with automakers including China’s Dongfeng and Germany’s Daimler.
Press analysts have questioned the stability of the Alliance’s shareholding agreement as well as the Alliance’s long-term viability in the wake of Carlos Ghosn, the alliance’s chairman and CEO, being arrested, imprisoned, and fired from the alliance and all of its components in November 2018. Additionally, these analysts point out that because the recent business strategies of the corporations are intertwined, any attempts to restructure the Alliance may be detrimental to all of the members.
What does Mitsubishi’s future hold?
Dealers don’t believe anything else is in the works, but Nissan may save Mitsubishi with a rebadged Kicks subcompact vehicle, for instance. Mitsubishi does offer the Eclipse Cross plug-in hybrid in Europe, but U.S. sales are not certain.
Future hybrid and electric models may be developed through the cooperation, according to the company’s product roadmap, which was unveiled during its annual financial presentation in May. However, other than an electric city car created with Nissan for the Japanese market, the presentation did not provide any additional information.
Mirage: This year, the little economy car had a refresh for the 2021 model year in both its sedan and hatchback versions. A redesigned grille, bumpers, new standard safety features, and an improved infotainment system were all added to the subcompact. But underneath, a three-cylinder engine with 78 horsepower and ten-year-old architecture is still present. However, since it is one of just four Mitsubishi models available in the United States, it is projected to remain in production until a refresh in 2023.
Outlander Sport: The crossover received a facelift for the 2020 model year and will continue to be produced through the 2022 model year with additional equipment and trim improvements. Surprisingly, the Sport, which debuted for the 2011 model year, is still the initial version of the car despite occasional updates. The Cross and Sport are almost the same size because to the Eclipse Cross’s expansion as part of its refresh. Mitsubishi dealers would like a newer, more compact Kicks-based crossover in the subcompact segment, but that model is likely to receive another Sport refresh in late 2022.
Eclipse Cross: The 2022 Eclipse Cross, updated this year, is described by Mitsubishi as “redesigned, attractive, and athletic,” yet it is still based on the first version from the 2018 model year. The Cross was an ugly duckling before the styling revisions, but it is now much more mainstream. The inside has also been greatly enhanced. Although U.S. dealers would like access to Mitsubishi’s plug-in hybrid version, the company currently has no plans to introduce it to the United States. In 2023, The Eclipse Cross should be updated, perhaps on an alliance platform.
Outlander: The updated 2022 Outlander is a midsize crossover with three rows of seats, something that even platform neighbor Rogue lacks. With the Outlander, Mitsubishi has a completely new, premium and fashionable vision. Dealers claim that the car is bringing in a wealthier, more demanding customer base, and they would love to see more of the same as the automaker designs its upcoming models. The next Outlander episode should air in 2024.
Outlander PHEV: The 2014 model-year gasoline-powered Outlander served as the foundation for the 2022 plug-in hybrid version of the vehicle. For 2021, an expanded battery pack and a more potent gasoline engine were added to the hybrid. According to Mitsubishi, a revamped plug-in Outlander based on the next-generation gasoline vehicle will be available in the second half of 2022. In 2024, the next-generation PHEV should receive an update concurrently with the gasoline-powered vehicle.
Electric vehicles: According to Mitsubishi’s official strategy, various alliance EVs and hybrids will “use similar electrical components for EV/HEV,” according to the company’s May financial presentation. However, the automaker has not provided any information.
There is at least a foundation for some Mitsubishi fully electric vehicles in the future because Nissan is going toward its own electric future and Renault already has EVs in Europe. However, how the automobile alliance deploys its resources and its own future may affect that.
How’s it going for Mitsubishi?
Total sales for the full year of 2021 were 102,037, up 16.8% from 2020. This marks the fourth time since 2007 that the brand has exceeded 100,000 sales. With record sales for the month and the third quarter thanks to the brand-new 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander, Mitsubishi Motors North America ended 2021 with a gain of about 17%.
Mitsubishi is it leaving Europe?
Read about how the news startled Rob Lindley, the head of Mitsubishi UK.
The Colt Car Company’s David Rodriguez, director of sales and marketing, continued, “Today has been an extraordinarily emotional day.
It’s the last day of Mitsubishi vehicle sales in the UK and the last day that many members of the CCC team will work for the company (myself included).
“After working at CCC for 16 months, I can genuinely state that this has been one of the most difficult but gratifying periods of my professional life. From so many different people, I have learned so much.
“I’m incredibly pleased of my team, my coworkers, and everyone at CCC for handling the several curve balls that have been thrown their way since the MTP announcement in July-20,” the author said. Together, we overcame every obstacle and knocked it out of the park.
“I wish everyone I worked with at CCC the absolute best of luck in their future endeavors.” I am truly grateful that I had the chance to work with you. I’m grateful that you helped me create unforgettable CCC experiences that will last a lifetime.
Prior to reaching an agreement with Renault, which allowed the company to stay in Europe, Mitsubishi initially withdrew completely from the region.
However, despite speaking with SsangYong, no such agreement to maintain the company in Britain could be reached.
Jo Hargreaves, a PA and business development analyst, paid tribute to her tenure with the organization in the following way: “12 years ago I was granted a fantastic chance, which evolved into a career.”
“Mitsubishi Motors in the UK was a family; there were many friendships formed and everyone knew one another.
Because of decisions made thousands of miles away as MM exits the UK market, this was my last day of employment.
Many of the folks departing today, like myself, have excellent jobs to which they are moving.
I, for one, am grateful to some outstanding bosses who encouraged me to advance in my profession.
“A massive thank you to all the amazing employees of CCC,” continued Will Blackshaw, managing director of Blackshaws Alnwick and Morpeth. “Good luck to you all in your individual futures.”
“Our family was given the opportunity to represent the Mitsubishi franchise, and I personally learned so much from that experience.”
But more importantly, it made it possible for me to meet some incredible people who have since become close friends.
Are Mitsubishi vehicles durable?
The Mitsubishi Lancer is a reasonably dependable vehicle that, with routine maintenance and cautious driving, can go between 150,000 and 200,000 kilometers. It may operate for 1013 years at 15,000 miles per year before requiring any excessively costly or uneconomical repairs.