Mitsubishi Not Going Away Anytime Soon
Mitsubishi Motors Corp has a five year plan to revive the brand that includes 3 new crossover vehicles and a new advanced technology office. In a statement to Automotive News Mitsubishi CEO Osamu Masuko said the brand will focus their limited resources to manufacture a more compact lineup.
Masuko said that Mitsubishi will introduce a new small coupe-styled crossover in the fall of 2017 that will fit in between the Outlander and the Outlander Sport. A redesigned Outlander will also arrive in 2017, while the Outlander Sport will get its facelift and hit selling floors sometime in 2019. In an attempt to keep the brand fresh, Mitsubishi released a reloaded Outlander Sport and updated Mirage subcompact hatchback at the LA Auto Show in November.
According to Automotive News, Mitsubishi will also launch the Outlander PHEV, a plug-in hybrid version of the current model. Masuko said the three future crossover models will get electrified drivetrains as variants to the standard gasoline versions, as well: the redesigned Outlander and yet-to-be-named crossover will get plug-in hybrid variants, while the Outlander Sport will go all-electric alongside its traditional gasoline model.
Mitsubishi’s plan to revitalize the brand comes after U.S. sales climbed 25 percent through October, due to large demand of crossover vehicles. The automaker believes that crossovers will help prioritize investments and cut costs.
Stay tuned to MotorWeek for more details.