Mitsubishi Promises New Products for US

Don’t count Mitsubishi out just yet.

The Japanese brand has seen a big spike in sales this year and is on course to turn its first profit in North America since the late 2000’s recession. The brand’s new CEO, Osamu Masuko, told Automotive News that he plans to build on this momentum with new products, two of which could arrive by next year.

One of those two products will be the long-delayed Outlander PHEV plug-in hybrid crossover (which we recently drove), while the other likely candidate is a sedan version of the Mirage subcompact, a car that has already been previewed by the Mirage G4 Concept. A plug-in hybrid version is also planned for the next generation Outlander Sport, currently the brand’s best-selling nameplate in the United States.

To round out the new lineup, Mitsubishi is considering reintroducing the full-size Montero SUV which is sold as the Pajero in worldwide markets. “We are putting our emphasis on SUVs in the United States,” Masuko said. “So we have to think about introducing the next-generation Pajero to the United States. There’s going to be a PHEV version. And we would like to introduce it.”

A full-size sedan may also be in the cards for Mitsubishi, though it would be sourced from Renault. Exactly where that car would be sold is not clear.

One thing is certain though, Mitsubishi has no plans to leave the U.S. “We are trying to introduce new vehicles,” said Masuko. “We aren’t thinking of withdrawing whatsoever.”