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.
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Is Mitsubishi going out of business in 2026?
After Nissan discovered the fuel-efficiency scam (described in “Fuel economy scandal”), Nissan started buying a 34 percent stake in Mitsubishi Motors in May 2016. The goal was to become Mitsubishi’s largest and controlling shareholder and to make Mitsubishi a part of the RenaultNissan Alliance (the “Alliance”). Nissan has stated their intention to work with Mitsubishi Motors to jointly develop upcoming automobiles using some of the same vehicle architectures. In October 2016, Carlos Ghosn, the chairman of Nissan, Renault, and the Alliance, also assumed leadership of Mitsubishi, completing Nissan’s acquisition of the 34 percent controlling interest in Mitsubishi. When Ghosn was fired after his arrest by the Japanese government in November 2018, Osamu Masuko, the CEO of Mitsubishi, took over as chairman of the company.
As the auto business requires massive investments in technology, Mitsubishi Motors intends to quit creating vehicle platforms for the Japanese market and start utilizing Nissan Motor, an ally, as the basis for its vehicles starting around 2026.
Mitsubishi: Will it quit the US?
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.
How will Mitsubishi fare?
It is very possible that this is the same dealer network that originally sold it to you.
Since learning about the termination of new vehicle sales, almost all of the current dealers have stayed with Mitsubishi. And after the after-sales operation is transferred to International Motors on October 1, 2021, the majority of them want to become Mitsubishi Service Centers and keep taking care of their devoted consumers.
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
Nissan and Mitsubishi are they merging?
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%.
Why did Mitsubishi stop producing automobiles?
In summary, Mitsubishi ceased production of the Evo for the same reason it ceased production of all of its other outstanding performance vehicles: money.
Most purchasers like cars that are useful, dependable, and affordable. Most consumers don’t care much about pure performance or excitement, preferring these qualities wrapped together in a crossover or SUV.
Despite the fact that vehicle aficionados tend to be a “loud minority,” the majority of people who buy cars today prefer the models that Mitsubishi offers.
The truth is that many of the people making such statements would not be likely to actually go through and purchase, despite the fact that many will declare (particularly online) that they would love to buy a new Evo if one were available today.
A manufacturer like Mitsubishi runs a significant risk by creating a new version of the Evo or another high-performance vehicle only to have it fail on the market. This could be a deadly decision for a business, particularly in the difficult economic environment we currently face.
For those of us who want for a return to the period of speed, handling, and thrill, it may be discouraging and upsetting, but ultimately it’s impossible to fault a firm like Mitsubishi for producing what its customers want.
Most people just want affordable transportation that will transfer them and their children in comfort, safety, and convenience, ideally with eco-friendly credentials.
If other, larger Japanese automakers succeed with any new performance vehicles, it may present the best chance for the revival of the storied Evo badge.
For instance, if Toyota succeeds with the new GR Yaris, Mitsubishi might be persuaded to resurrect the Evo (or at least develop another performance vehicle, such as the Mirage Cyborg!).
The Evo is no longer being produced by Mitsubishi, and there are no plans for a comeback, so now is the ideal moment to seek for your own Evo. Prices have been skyrocketing recently and are certain to keep rising as more examples succumb to accidents, neglect, and aging.
Is a new Mitsubishi car available?
Up to the fall, Mitsubishi will continue to sell new vehicles before switching to an aftersales-only model, according to the company. By the end of the year, new models like the plug-in hybrid Outlander and the L200 pickup will no longer be offered.
Nissan: Will it leave America?
Nissan announced that it will stop producing commercial vans like the NV200 at plants in the U.S. and Mexico next year, confirming months of suspicions. This decision is a result of a comprehensive cost-cutting plan designed to assist the struggling Asian automaker recover recent losses.
Nissan’s aggressive full-size van manufacturing initiative, which it began at its Canton, Mississippi assembly facility after the Great Recession, is now over. The massive Nissan manufacturing facility in Cuernavaca, Mexico, would also be affected by the departure in terms of production.
The carmaker supplied some of its vans to General Motors for a while in an effort to establish itself in a market category that had previously been controlled by Detroit’s Big Three. But because products like the NV200 didn’t sell well, Nissan is now focusing on its core product lines.