Mitsubishi Motors North America Gains Strong Foothold in America with Best YTD Sales in 2022
Two years ago (2020), Mitsubishi Motors announced a new model coming from the Japanese automaker. This was during a conference with Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi announcing its mid-term plans for Alliance 2022, a business strategy to strengthen bonds between the three automakers as well as tease their new lineup of models and automotive technology. This of course included self-driving cars and electric vehicles (EVs). Well, we’re nearing the end of 2022, and we still have no idea what that new vehicle was supposed to be. Instead, Mitsubishi Motors seems to be relying on its next generation models to pull the extra weight, and although it’s not what we’ve been waiting for, it seems the strategy wasn’t such a bad idea. Sales for 2022 have been pretty great for Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA), and it could be just what the automaker needs to start bringing some fan favorites back to the states.
When MMNA first came to America, it was as a rally race car automaker. Those were the vehicles consumers loved and made the “Evolution” nameplate the legend it is today. We even discussed the history of the Lancer Evolution and other Mitsubishi sports car during our “Mitsubishi Sports Cars from the Past” blog series, including the Mitsubishi Colt, Eclipse, Starion 4WD, Galant AMG, and of course, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, courtesy of Ralliart. That was the high-performance group responsible for models like the Lancer Evolution, and although Mitsubishi Motors revived Ralliart, at the moment, it seems more focused on rally racecar graphics and appearances and less on high-performance vehicles.
There could be hope for Mitsubishi to bring back its sports cars. A lot of it comes down to how well Ralliart special edition vehicles sell in the states, like the upcoming 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage Ralliart Edition, and how well the automaker does overall. One reason why Mitsubishi is slow to bring Ralliart Editions to the states, including its Ralliart L200 pickup truck, is because of the near-miss bankruptcy the automaker had several years ago. After joining the Renault-Nissan Alliance, Mitsubishi Motors got more than it bargained for with shared resources and new models. For instance, the new generation of the Mitsubishi Outlander SUV, released in 2022, has pushed MMNA forward in sales and success.
To date, the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander has sold 30,481 units. That’s the second-best year-to-date (YTD) performance in the history of the nameplate and the strongest performance ever year-to-date in terms of retail-only sales. MMNA reported a 43.3-percent increase of YTD sales in comparison with 2021, and a 20.5-percent increase for Q3 of 2022 (July to September 2022). A lot of that can be attested to the new generation models of the Mitsubishi Outlander and Eclipse Cross. The PHEV models of both are also starting to shake things up, with the new generation of the Outlander PHEV announced for 2023, and the new flagship Eclipse Cross PHEV that will soon replace the Outlander variant, first launched in 2013.
This is the kind of sales an automaker needs to take a chance and try something new. We can already see many other automakers selling special editions of fan favorites before making the shift to an all-electric lineup, just in case the change backfires. After nearly pulling out of the European market before getting a rebadged Renault Clio hybrid, it makes sense that Mitsubishi Motors wants to make sure it has a stronger foothold in America before bringing Ralliart-inspired performance vehicles to the states. We’re just hoping the vehicle covered up during the February 2022 Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi conference wasn’t the Clio, and is actually something the fans have been asking for. According to Mitsubishi Motors President Takao Kato during an interview with automotive media publication Response, it could be.
“We will also consider involvement in rallies…We made a big loss in the previous fiscal year, so we want to revive the company first and then give out as many cars as possible that fans are waiting for.” – Kato
Strong words, but shrouded in mystery. Want to take a test drive of the Mitsubishi Outlander and find out what all the buzz is about? You can find new Mitsubishi models at University Mitsubishi any day.