Autoblog

Mitsubishi boss confirms new Mirage for US; i EV enduring dismal sales

Chris Tutor — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:31:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Hybrid, Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Hatchback, Mitsubishi, Electric

By March, Mitsubishi expects to have sold just 55,000 cars in the US this fiscal year. That's a tiny sum - by comparison, Honda has sold over 276,000 Civic models thus far this year - and that's just one vehicle, not an entire brand. Mitsubishi president Osamu Masuko recognizes this is not a tenable position, and he's hoping the company will shift 80,000 units next fiscal year. Warding off speculation, Masuko has repeatedly stated that his company will not retreat from the US market like competitor Suzuki.

We reported on one part of Masuko's plan, the updated Outlander, and now he has confirmed that the small Mirage will be sold in the US beginning next September. The cut-price hatchback is selling well enough that Mitsu's Thailand plant is at its full capacity of 150,000 cars. "And even at that level it's not keeping up with orders," Masuko tells Automotive News. Masuko went on to say the plant would be expanded next year to handle an extra 50,000 units. We can also expect the Outlander plug-in early 2014.

The company's Normal, Illinois, plant will also get an expansion to increase output of the Outlander Sport crossover. That facility will go from 50,000 a year to 70,000. Much of the additional production will be exported from the US to Russia, Latin America and the Middle East.

In other news, Masuko admits the company's bubble-shaped i electric subcompact is selling far more poorly than expected. At one time, the company had optimistically planned on 20,000 sales a year of it little EV, but thus far, Mitsu has only shifted 469 units through October. Because of that, don't expect to see the electric Mirage any time soon. In fact, Automotive News reports that the company plans to move away from pure electric vehicles and focus on hybrids and plug-in hybrids for the US market.

Mitsubishi boss confirms new Mirage for US; i EV enduring dismal sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: Mitsubishi to sell rebadged Infiniti M... new Diamante in the cards?

Steven J. Ewing — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Japan, Infiniti, Mitsubishi, Rumormill

2011 Infiniti M37 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Mitsubishi is reportedly considering selling a rebadged version of the Infiniti M sedan in order to fill its void of premium offerings in its home market of Japan. However, Automotive News notes that Mitsubishi's President, Osamu Masuko, has stated that the automaker will not leverage manufacturing deals with other companies in order to expand its lineup here in the United States, so don't expect to see a Mitsu-branded Infiniti on our shores anytime soon.

Mitsubishi's last endeavor into the luxury sedan market was with the Diamante - a car that suffered from lackluster sales numbers during its run throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Due to Mitsubishi's financial woes during the mid-2000s, luxury car development was put on hold. Now, though, selling a rebadged version of the Infiniti M (or Nissan Fuga, as it's known in Japan) would insulate Mitsubishi from research and development costs, making it easier for the automaker to launch back into the luxury segment.

Automotive News reports that the Mitsubishi-badged Infiniti could go on sale in Japan as early as this year. Expect the standard gas version to be the first to wear a triple-diamond badge, though Mitsubishi may sell a version of the M Hybrid, as well. Top tip, Randy!

Gallery: 2011 Infiniti M37: Review

Photos copyright (C)2011 Michael Harley / AOL

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Rumormill: Mitsubishi to sell rebadged Infiniti M... new Diamante in the cards? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mitsubishi CEO: We will not withdraw from U.S. market

Jeff Glucker — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Mitsubishi, Earnings/Financials

2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery

Mitsubishi has had a very rough road the last few years. Its sales have fallen steadily since a peak year in 2002 when the brand pushed 354,111 units out the door. According to Automotive News, Osamu Masuko, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, says he is often asked if the Japanese automaker is ready to pull out of the U.S. market. "It never enters my mind," he says.

The company with the triple diamond logo has big plans and lofty goals for the near future. Currently, Mitsubishi moves around 50,000 vehicles per year and Masuko's personal goal is to push that figure to 200,000 vehicles - an increase of 400 percent. He believes the path to his goals is through new products and moderate incentives, both of which will help drive steady and sustainable growth.

The product lineup is shifting away from a past littered with larger sedans and SUVs. Mitsubishi is going to aim for smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles as well as all-electric vehicles such as the i-MiEV. In addition, it plans to move away from regional vehicles to develop consistent global platforms. Since the U.S. market only accounts for less than 10 percent of global sales, this sounds like a smart move, but smaller vehicles often bring smaller profit potential, so it will be interesting to see if Mitsu can thrive with this sort of a business plan.

Osamu Masuko's bottom line is that changes are coming, Mitsubishi is going to turn its ship around starting this year with new offerings like the Outlander Sport, and it remains committed to regaining its past success in the American market.

Gallery: First Drive: 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

Photos by Damon Lavrinc / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Mitsubishi CEO: We will not withdraw from U.S. market originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best Buy Geek Squads to start testing Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Sebastian Blanco — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:58:00 EST

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Hatchback, Mitsubishi, Specialty, Electric

Mitsubishi Geek Squad i-MiEV - Click above for high-res image gallery

While Mitsubishi didn't unveil any new vehicles at the LA Auto Show today, company president Osamu Masuko did announce the latest step in his company's plan to bring plug-in vehicles to North America. The vehicle - well, one of them - is an all-electric i-MiEV plastered with Best Buy's Geek Squad logo. The electronics giant will start using them in January (after they're shown off at CES) at some Geek Squad locations in California. Details have not yet been totally worked out, but the Geek EVs will start with a fleet of four vehicles and then expand and rotate to other stores over the course of three years. Most likely, the i-MiEVs will be doled out in pairs and the probable early cities where these vehicles will make house calls include Chicago, New York, Portland and San Francisco.

Best Buy plans to use the i-MiEVs just like any other fleet car, with the exception that they will be right-hand drive. Best Buy's Senior Vice President of emerging business, Rick Rommel, told AutoblogGreen that the idea is to learn "how these will fit into a Geek's daily life." The plug-in vehicle tests with Geek Squad are unrelated to how select West Coast Best Buy stores are selling electric bikes. That said, Rommel admits that the key thing is that Best Buy likes to conduct new experiments, and these EVs fit into that general concept.

Gallery: Best Buy Geek Squad i-MIEV

Continue reading Best Buy Geek Squads to start testing Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Best Buy Geek Squads to start testing Mitsubishi i-MiEV originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UPDATE: U.S. bound Mitsubishi Colt will be an all-new global small car

Jonny Lieberman — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:20:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Japan, Tokyo Motor Show, Hatchback, Mitsubishi

Yesterday, we reported that Mitsubishi is bringing its small, B-segment Colt to our shores. And that's true, mostly. What we've learned between now and then is that Mitsu isn't bringing over the current Colt, but rather the replacement for the current Colt, i.e. the next Colt. In fact, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. President Osamu Masuko said as much during last month's Tokyo Motor Show. Here's what he told Automotive News:

"Mitsubishi will follow that with a global small car in 2012. That car will be smaller than the Colt, which is sold in Japan and Europe, and will have a 1.0- to 1.3-liter gasoline engine. A plug-in hybrid version and all-electric version of the global small car are scheduled for 2013. Mitsubishi is studying which of those would best suit the United States.

The scoop, then, is that this new global small car will be called Colt. As opposed to say, Havasu.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

UPDATE: U.S. bound Mitsubishi Colt will be an all-new global small car originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BREAKING: Mitsubishi to sell electric vehicle in the U.S.

Damon Lavrinc — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 01:05:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Technology, Mitsubishi

Needless to say, gambling is risky. So it's apropos that in Las Vegas last week, Mitsubishi announced their intentions to sell an electric vehicle in the U.S.

According to an article in Automotive News, Mitsubishi's president, Osamu Masuko, made the announcement during the annual dealer's meeting held in the City of Sin. The lithium-ion powered vehicle will be made available in Japan first and will then find its way onto U.S. soil. The automaker has been toying with both electrics and hybrid in Japan, and intends to import both in the coming years.

Although the electric-powered model may carry a bit more cachet than the traditional hybrid route, we're curious as to what, if anything has materialized out of the Concept-CT that Mitsu debuted earlier this year at the NAIAS. The concept had a 1.1-liter engine, partnered with individual electric motors that fed power to each wheel and, hence, was transmission-less. More development of that concept, which would aid in the R and D of fuel-cell powertrains, may be more forward thinking.

Considering the sorry state of things at Mitsubishi, this may be one of their biggest gambles yet and since no time frame was outlined during the conference, we're a little hesitant to think of this as anything more than ambitious intentions. And you know which path is lined with good intentions, right?

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

BREAKING: Mitsubishi to sell electric vehicle in the U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Oct 2006 01:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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