Last year I wrote about how Mitsubishi was a great car company… in 1999. It’s been a tough, oh, quarter-century for the always interesting Japanese automaker. In 2017, the company was so bruised that it had to get shoehorned into the Renualt-Nissan alliance. It’s been five years since the merger, and it looks like Mitsubishi is starting to bear fruit. This is especially true in the United States.
In addition to Mitsubishi, we’ve got a veritable smorgasbord of news, new car teasers, and the like. Grab a fork and let’s dig in.
Fortunes Are Changing Fast For Mitsubishi
It was essentially two months ago when we shared the good news that the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance would keep Mitsubishi around as a brand and continue to invest in the company (it was a little dicey there for a while). Part of the appeal is Mitsubishi’s hybrid tech, which ain’t bad.
For instance, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is apparently quite good and also a little weird. It’s a three-row SUV based on the same platform as the Nissan Rogue, with a 2.4-liter inline-four and a front/rear electric motor setup. The 20 kWh lithium-ion battery is good for about 38 miles of EV-only range. It’ll also fast charge, but it still uses the CHAdeMO charging setup. The whole thing costs under $40k, which is extremely competitive.
Because Mitsubishi ended production in the United States back in 2016, the Outlander doesn’t qualify for government federal tax incentives… unless you lease it. The company is now offering a 24-month lease at $442 a month with $4,441 due at signing with a $1,500 federal tax credit. These days, that’s not bad.
Mitsubishi has still been rocked by supply chain issues, but sales of the Outlander PHEV more than doubled from Q1 2022 to Q1 2023. The company still has a long way to go, but it thinks it’s headed in the right direction. Good old Hans Griemel filed a report with Automotive News this morning in Japan and it sounds like the company has high hopes for the United States:
The upbeat outlook for North America, which should emerge as Mitsubishi’s profit engine and second biggest market after Japan, will help offset crumbling business in China and Europe.
Fortified internet marketing and online sales are also seen helping Mitsubishi reach North American regional markets where the Japanese carmaker has sparse dealer penetration.
The combined effect will cause North American regional operating profit to more than triple in the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, as North America becomes the company’s top profit center, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. predicted Tuesday while announcing its latest financial results.
The U.S. is the new China for the Japanese, while Europe is the new China for China. That’s a weird sentence.
The Volvo EX30 Is Coming
Shocking absolutely no one, Volvo’s next electric vehicle will be a small crossover/SUV called the EX30. It’ll debut on June 7th and slot somewhere in between the C40 and XC40 Recharge and EX90.
A Lexus TX Is Coming
The first ever Lexus TX will debut next month in Texas (get it?). What is it? A fancier version of the Toyota Grand Highlander. Neat! The Grand Highlander seems like a perfectly cromulent three-row crossover. There are a lot of jokes here, so have fun.
GM Appoints A Head Of Software
GM is appointing an Executive Vice President of Software to oversee its vehicle software development, and the guy the company is hiring, Mike Abbott, was formerly the VP of Engineering for Apple’s Cloud Services Division and VP of Engineering at Twitter. Not bad credentials.
Here’s what the company is saying about the hire:
Abbott brings extensive technology industry experience in cloud computing, storage, networking, security and more at scale. As vice president of Apple’s Cloud Services team, Abbott led a team responsible for the development of core infrastructure for all of Apple’s cloud-based services including iCloud iMessage, Private Relay, Mail and account security. In addition to storage, networking and compute, his team created products for Apple’s Education and Enterprise categories
“We have entered the next phase of our technology driven transformation focused on rapidly scaling new EV models and our Ultifi software platform, which will drive faster innovation and enable new and exciting customer experiences,” said Barra. “Mike’s experience as a founder and entrepreneur coupled with his proven track record creating and delivering some of the market’s most compelling software-defined solutions for consumers and companies make him an excellent fit at GM.”
This comes as GM ponders dropping CarPlay and Android Auto from its vehicles, a move Patrick described thusly:
This seems, to me, like a stellar act of not just stepping, but actually stomping, with golf shoes, on one’s own metaphorical dong that I feel confident in predicting that even GM will, at some point in the near future, walk this back. I mean, I hope they do. Or that they prove me wrong about this being a bad idea and I have to eat my own socks.
I will be entertained by either outcome.
Seat Is Going To Stop Making Cars, Become eMobility, Maybe?
VW-owned Spanish automaker Seat successfully spun-off its Cupra sub-brand as the future of fast, small electrified performance cars. Perhaps Seat was too successful with the spinoff, because now there’s some talk of Seat not needing to make cars anymore.
Here’s the Autocar headline: “Seat set to ditch cars by 2030 as part of radical reposition“
Seat could ditch cars entirely by the end of the decade, bosses have told Autocar, and rebrand itself as an urban mobility brand targeting young people.
The Spanish manufacturer, whose only EV is the £5800 Mó scooter (pictured below), would also look at other aspects of “mobility solutions”, such as microcars and bikes, ahead of the European Union’s ban on new ICE car sales in 2035.
Huh. Obviously, take this news with un grano de sal but it sort of makes sense. When Europe makes it difficult to sell cars that aren’t powered by magical efuels, what purpose does Seat have if Cupra exists? Obviously, there’s a lot of brand equity there so…
A Bad Look For Lucid
Electric car startup Lucid Motors has done the hard part. The company has made cars. It’s just not making enough of them. Let’s check in with the company’s Q1 financial report to see how it’s going.
Lucid reported first quarter revenue of $149.4 million, having produced 2,314 vehicles at its manufacturing facility in Arizona and delivered 1,406 vehicles during the same period. Lucid plans to manufacture more than 10,000 vehicles in 2023 and ended the quarter with approximately $4.1 billion total liquidity, which is expected to fund the Company at least into the second quarter of 2024.
That sounds good. Let’s see what CNBC has to say:
Lucid has recently been moving to conserve cash. It said in March that it would cut about 18% of its workforce, roughly 1,300 workers, in a bid to lower spending.
The company is still addressing demand concerns.
The automaker’s expected 2023 production of “over 10,000” Air sedans is well below the “more than 28,000″ reservations it recorded as of its fourth-quarter earnings report in February. And, in April, Lucid said it produced 2,314 Airs in the first quarter while delivering just 1,406 to customers during the period, a gap the company blamed on a “slow January” and changes to the U.S. government’s EV tax credits.
In another sign that demand for the Air may be weak, Lucid declined to provide an updated reservation number on Monday.
Ok, so less good.
The Big Question
Would you buy a new Mitsubishi? Would you lease one?
Photos: Mitsubishi, Volvo, GM, Lucid, Seat
Flush:
GIVE US A NEW LANCER AND LANCER EVOLUTION YOU COWARDS.
Mitsubishi makes nothing I’m interested in buying right now after killing off its fun, small sedan. A new, good fast Lancer (as in, something Mitsu designs and not a rebadged Nissan turdcan) would tempt me back when my current Lancer finally gives up the ghost in the year 5413, after Robo-Stef sends it too hard and lands on the oil pan or something.
Also, my gosh, Mitsu’s dealership network is abysmal. There’s a reason why my answer to yesterday’s question was “find a higher-paying job so I can finally buy a Cayenne.” For one, I need a towpig more than another Lancer—and I want to be comfy while towing. Two, there are two Porsche dealerships roughly equidistant from my house, an active local owners’ group, and volumes upon volumes of People Who Probably Already Had This Issue online.
Mitsubishi isn’t being bought by enthusiasts anymore, and it shows in annoying ways. Lancer parts when anything breaks make me wonder why it’s the Porsche that everyone expects to bankrupt me when hell no, 944 parts are cheap in comparison. The Lancer forums are still around—although they’re a lot more active on the Evo side—but the lone dealership locally is way the hell out in Cedar Park and it used to be a shady used-only dealership. It carried over its habit of making the world’s most irritating radio ads after it picked up the Mitsu franchise, too. Even if they came out with a new, shiny Lancer tomorrow and even pinkie-pinkie swore up and down that they’d be cool with it going on track early and often, they’d have to address THAT issue of yikes, the dealership network to support it is bad.
There are good ones out there—ordering parts from Daytona was easy and chill, and the dealership we bought from in Waco is still there and has always treated me fairly—but like, ya gots some big holes and shady folks in the ranks. I remember driving all the way back to Waco for service straight out of college because the then-dealership in Tyler tried a little too hard to explain my own car to me and upsell everything accordingly, and I knew the lady at Waco’s service desk didn’t try to pull that.
Rebadge the Renault Megane 😉
They even make an RS version which could be the Evo XI
Ehh. Ehhhhh? It’s better than a rebadged Nissan, but nah. Not that interested.
Maybe I need to try a hot Renault someday, but every experience with a modern-day Renault I’ve had has been solidly mid. More comfort-oriented than the sport compact Lancer. Just a car that exists.
No offense, but if you’re a typical ‘murican who’s never been in a sporty french car, maybe try not to diss them.
I don’t drink beer, so I don’t try to shit all over people’s beer choices 😉
Quite the opposite—I think my “meh” on the idea of a Renault rebadge is because it’s not forbidden fruit to me. I’m not the usual sparkly-eyed American who fetishizes everything we don’t get. There’s also a lot of “An Cars” we don’t get that are just solidly…an car. Transportation. Vehicles that exist, but that don’t particularly scratch the want-itch. Renault makes some An Cars, and they’re not special for having a non-USDM badge.
As far as French cars (as a whole, not limiting to just Renault) go, I’ve seen them in review-car guise (and rather liked the Citroën C4 Cactus as a weirdo runabout), and at least ridden in hotter French cars, and I’m like, the fast/rare ones are neat, but I don’t really want one. (Then again, the French cars I DO kinda want are like, a dual-engined 2CV or a Twizy, so lemme at the weird stuff. Neither of those would be brought over as a Lancer rebadge.)
As far as the more standard Renault fare that’d be likely to be rebadged as a Lancer goes, the French-car quirkiness that a lot of Americans ooh and aah about is largely gone from those. Like the base Lancer, the base Megane is solidly An Car, although again, the vibe is a little less sport compact and a little more basic transportation. So regular, Mr. Regular might have a hard time coming up with poop jokes about it. (Especially after too much brie.) The Megane RS is neat, but I still don’t think Mitsu should go down the rebadge road. Renaults don’t have the same reputation for unkillability as the Lancer I’ve beat the heck out of for nearly 200K miles. That’s been a huge plus for Mitsu ownership over the few years—I just cannot kill that thing. It’s stout as hell. The Evo, too, has even more of a “hard to kill” reputation. Wanna crank the boost up to oblivion? Well, the engine at least stands a chance in the Mitsu.
Why on earth, in 2023, would someone use CHAdeMO? That alone is disqualifying IMO.
It’s slightly incomprehensible, but because it’s a PHEV I can forgive it. Most of the time these are going to be charged in a garage with the correct connector sitting right there, and on longer trips they’re filling up at a gas station so the charging standard doesn’t matter.
Because CHAdeMO is actually still prevalent in Japan, Mitsubishi’s home market and assembly location. Plus they’re already operating on a shoestring budget, so I’m sure any suggestion of updating the charging standard was shot down by the accounting department.
The important thing for Mitsubishi is for them to figure out why they ended up in such a bad way that they had to join up with Renauly-Nissan. It seems like in the 2000’s that they just stopped making new cars or updating old models.
Mitsubishi is doing well because they still make relatively affordable cars, including the cheapest new car. You also highlighted that the cheapest 7-passenger PHEV is made by them.
They should captive import Renaults and Dacias here.
Mitsubishi Kwid
Mitsubishi Sandero
Mitsubishi Twingo
Mitsubishi Kangoo
Mitsubishi Mighty Max (the Triton/L200 aka Ram 700)
Mitsubishi Montero
Yes, they still make a RWD Truck-based Montero Sport! I don’t know why they stopped selling it here, since it is still a popular segment in this market…
They could also rebadge the Megane as a Lancer, and the RS can be the new Evo.
The Kwid and Twingo will help keep the Chinese out.
I really want Lucid and Rivian to succeed. We need non-Tesla EV competitors.
LOL at GM hiring someone from Apple after they announced no more CarPlay
Nissan would probably push to block that to avoid competition, they’re the ones who killed Mitsubishi’s deal with Renault to sell Samsungs
was that proposed Mitsubishi-Renault Samsung deal before or after Mitsubishi joined the alliance?
The new Outlander is a rebadged Rogue, and the upcoming Renault Espace is basically just a LWB 7-passenger Rogue.
It was after, Mitsubishi can have whatever they develop themselves and whatever Nissan agrees to allow them to share, the Samsung SM6 was apparently a step too far for them
Re: Montero Sport – popular segment again/now – really only in the last few years.
I don’t think they were wrong to nix it; at the time they dropped it, RWD/BOF SUVs here were shifting toward in a much more plush direction, leather-lined with V8 and 3rd row seat options. Even the larger Montero didn’t have a V8 on offer, and Mitsubishi was already struggling so sprucing up the Montero Sport more to keep pace with the 4Runner and Pathfinder and such probably wasn’t in the cards. Same thing with GM not bringing the Colorado-based TrailBlazer, Ford not bringing the Ranger-based Everest, etc. Now we’ve come back around with the overlanding craze so it would make more sense now, although it might take a lot to make a dent in the 4Runner’s share of the market. I’m sure Nissan wishes they had held out on the Xterra a bit longer…
Detroit is just cheap, incompetent, and stupid. At least the Explorer went back to RWD tho
The Everest should’ve been the Explorer, and GM should’ve sold the international TB over here.
Nissan still makes a small RWD truck SUV for the middle east. Nissan is the poorest-run Japanese car company, called the Chrysler of Japan for a reason!
The Montero would be great for someone who doesn’t want to pay the Toyota Tax but still wants a Japanese truck.
Why? There was limited market for those coming out of the global recession, and most of them were a little rough and tumble for the tastes of buyers here at the time. Doesn’t matter which company, the pickup-based SUV was on the decline, with most of the investment dollars going to crossover-type vehicles. Toyota and Nissan stuck around in spite of it but didn’t really do anything to further the segment until much more recently and the market began to decide. It’s only recently that the pickups themselves started getting any dollars invested in them from the other makes.
Mitsubishi has had enough trouble selling products in segments they haven’t left, it’s going to be an uphill battle for an SUV or truck when they haven’t been there in ~20 years.
Wouldn’t personally buy a Mitsubishi. From what I’ve seen, they’re cheap, but you get what you pay for. The lack of interior comfort, poor ride quality, underpowered engines and crappy CVTs are enough for me to stay away. Let’s just put it this way, Mitsubishi is no one’s first choice.
I’m aware that a lot of people out there have very limited buying power, and I myself am quite frugal. But I’d honestly rather buy a 2-3 year old used vehicle in the same class from a decent brand than anything Mitsubishi has to offer.
“But I’d honestly rather buy a 2-3 year old used vehicle in the same class from a decent brand than anything Mitsubishi has to offer.”
Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick?
Meh, their current lineup doesn’t do much for me these days. Something about buying a Chinese (Envision) or Korean (Encore GX) made Buick just lowers my enthusiasm for the brand (come from a long line of Union autoworkers), although I think the Encore GX looks decent. Weird hangup I know, but it is what it is. The Enclave is built in Lansing but starts at $45K, and I don’t really need something that big. I miss their big, beautiful passenger cars, like my 1997 Riviera, but they’re never going back to that.
Isn’t GM’s Korean plant unionized? or are you strictly a UAW fan?
My 2018 Outlander has given me zero problems in 5 years & counting, and is extremely comfortable. The interior may be bland in appearance, but it is extremely well-built — I have not heard a squeak or rattle during my ownership, and the door closes with a satisfying thunk that pops the ears a little bit (like VW’s of old).
As for power, you’ve got me there — the nice little V6 that is in my Outlander GT was discontinued when they went to the Nissan platform. But if you look at the competition you will find a sea of small, naturally-aspirated 4-cylinders that perform no better than Mitsubishi’s engines. (With turbocharged Honda and Kia models being notable, but much more expensive exceptions.)
If Mitsubishi would build me another AWD Turbo Sports Coupe I’d snap one up. Little chance of that, though. ????
I would potentially buy a Mitsubishi. But only if the vehicle has an actual trans and not a Nissan Sourced CVT. So basically the PHEV outlander is the only unit I might consider plopping the money down on. I do lament we do not get the current gen Montero or even the Triton Pickup. those seem to have real drivetrains for actual use off road.
+1 to the Triton and Montero
Big truck RWD SUV’s are still popular here. They made a big mistake by not selling them in the US anymore!
I want Mitsubishi to swoop in as a value player to keep the Chinese out.
They also have access to Renault/Dacia shit too. Bring over the Kwid 😀
“Mitsubishi ended production in the United States back in 2016″
I read that as they stopped selling cars here, and was like “yeah, sounds right”
that former Mitsubishi factory is now a Rivian factory. About half the people working there for Rivian now used to work there when it was Mitsubishi.
To be totally honest… and I’m really not joking… I thought they HAD stopped selling cars here a while ago. This whole thing was news to me.
I’m surprised to hear the Outlander PHEV has a CHAdeMO port. I thought the Leaf was the last vehicle to use those. I don’t think a PHEV necessarily needs fast charging capabilities, but it does change how I perceive the vehicle. To me, a CHAdeMO port identifies a vehicle as using old technology. I don’t want to pay 2023 prices for 2011 technology. Plus, if they haven’t bothered to change charging ports, have they bothered to modernize the rest of the car?
So no, I probably would not buy a Mitsubishi.
I can’t think of another PHEV that has DC Fast Charge. It’s really a bonus feature on this car, but one that isn’t necessary at all. With a Level 2 you can fully charge the battery in about 3 1/’2 hours. If you need 30-40 miles of range fast, just put some gas in it.
Now that you mention it, I’m not aware of any other PHEVs that include DC fast charging ports (I agree it isn’t necessary). I wonder why they bothered to include it at all? I guess it is something they can advertise to set the car apart from other PHEVs, so maybe that justifies the expense? I also assume most potential buyers are new to EVs so they may not be aware fast charging isn’t very useful in this application and CHAdeMO ports are being phased out.
That’s my guess.
But the CCS connector is standard here, so the other PHEVs can use level 2 chargers that also work for most EVs. CHAdeMO, like Tesla connectors, needs an adaptor for that. Which is an additional level of frustration one could avoid. And if you install a CHAdeMO charger in your garage, you’re going to be replacing it when/if you go full EV.
Just to (hopefully) clarify a few things:
For non-Tesla EVs, level 2 chargers (240 V) use the same plug as level 1 chargers (120 V). It is called a J1772 port. Vehicles with a CHAdeMO port also have a J1772 port. The CCS/CHAdeMO thing only applies to DC fast charging (not home charging).
Vehicles with a CCS plug also have a J1772 port. For fast charging, CCS equipped vehicles have two additional plugs below the J1772 port. The CCS plug uses these additional plugs along with the J1772 port when fast charging.
Vehicles with a CHAdeMO port (or early Leafs that don’t have fast charging capabilities) can use the same Level 2 chargers as EVs equipped with CCS plugs. An adapter isn’t needed.
Teslas use a unique connector for both level 1/2 charging and level 3 charging. You can get a CCS to Tesla adapter to use CCS stations for a Tesla (I think?). You also need an adapter to use a J1772 port, but those are included with the car.
Living with EVs will be so much easier when (if?) this is standardized.
Oh, I thought that the CHAdeMO cars had the same issue as Tesla with J1772. So the Outlander has two charging ports, then? Really seems even more unnecessary to include CHAdeMO, in that case.
Yes, it has both (J1772 and CHAdeMO) ports.
That is why I’m so confused about the CHAdeMO port. I’ve driven EVs for a few years so I immediately thought that was odd. Mitsubishi must be counting potential buyer’s lack of familiarity with EV tech. The CHAdeMO port really is useless if you know how these things work.
They dropped the manual Mirage, so no. They’re dead to me.
THAT was the final straw for you?! Haha.
IKR???
I mean COME ON, the fact that it was never available with a sunroof ruis it for me, plus the fact they stopped offering pink after the first year LOL
I never understood why Mitsubishi was never attached to Nissan’s dealer network the same way Buick/GMC often is. Even if I adored their lineup, I’d be hard pressed to find a Mitsu dealer near me (particularly one that doesn’t have very troubling customer reviews).
Too much overlap between Nissan and Mitsubishi products?
GMC and Buick have a lot of overlap now, but that is a pretty recent development. Before 2008 or so, their lineups were quite distinct.
There was actually no overlap until the new Outlander on the Rogue platform.
So, basically, Seat pulled an Oakland/Pontiac move – introduce a new companion brand that somehow eclipses the main brand, then get into a situation where you don’t know if you still need the original one. Volvo’s team better keep their eye on Polestar
Psst, it’s “sal” not “sol.”
You know, that old saying… a grain of sun.
I’m in no way surprised Mitsubishi is having a bit of a moment right now. With the average price of new cars about to crest the $50k mark, who would have thought that a brand focused on providing affordable, sensible cars would appeal to Americans? It’s like they are filling the aching void left behind by Hyundai/Kia when they started pushing their brands upmarket.
I’ve been surprised at the lack of excitement over Mitsubishi’s PHEV for awhile now. It was like … the ONLY affordable PHEV SUV for a long time. There are some coming in to fill that gap, but Mitsubishi got their first.
the plug in hybrid had to have the forced full BEV thing to happen for the sheep to take notice and actually wade into the market. at 40 K for the standard Jelly Bean CUV, this seems like a reasonable option.
I really wanted the Outlander PHEV at first, but I was actually able to get my hands on a Niro (I live in a state that doesn’t get a lot of PHEVs, and there is only one Mitsubishi dealer anywhere near me, so the Outlander might have been a better contender elsewhere). Not as big, but it does feel a bit nicer.
Now, though, the Outlander is competing with far more compelling options. Sportage, Escape, RAV4, etc. are all in competition with it, and you can save money by going smaller or spend a little more to go larger.
Honestly, the only way I’d want to pay attention to Volvo is if we were getting an EV C30 again.
I’ll forever want one as a normal 5 banger, but an EV version would be sweet too.
On a positive note: go Mitsubishi!
Around 2015 we almost bought a new Outlander. The salesman decided to pull the “I’ll talk to my manager about the price” card and walked off into the back office. 20 minutes later we left. We were the only customers at the dealership. He tried to stop us after we got in our car but I believe my wife said something to the effect of “If you can’t respect our time, we aren’t buying your car”. We didn’t like the Outlander that much to deal with BS wait tactics. It was the only dealer in town so we crossed it off our list.
The Outlander looks weird (but not in a good way), is priced just high enough that you’re looking at other things, and offers nothing that really sets it apart. And that is the thing they actually manage to sell. Their other products are somehow worse. The Mirage is cheap transportation, I guess, but it starts higher than the Nissan Versa, so I don’t know if someone picks it. It’s also in direct competition with a number of quality used cars.
I looked at the Outlander PHEV and just could not see going that route. And, minor nitpick from me, it annoys me that they decided to offer the top trim with massaging seats, rather than ventilated. But, really, the whole thing just fails to offer a compelling reason to choose it.
I think my cousin bought an Outlander sometime in the past 3-5 years and as far as I’m aware, she liked it. Although that side of the family has always been a bit odd in regards to their small SUV tastes. My aunt absolutely loved her Grand Vitara and only sold it because she got nervous about not being able to get parts once Suzuki left the market.
Apple does many things well, but cloud offerings are not on that list.
Just checked the website, and no more manual transmission availability on the Mirage, just a standard, across-the-lineup CVT. So no on buying a new Mitsubishi. Too bad, as I like the current Mirage’s car-out-of-its-time vibe.
Mirage is more or less a Kei Car with a slightly bigger engine. You should see the vans in this segment that the 3 Water Chestnut Company offers.
Same here. I’m a simple man: if your car has a CVT, that’s a ‘nope’ from me. I don’t even care if it’s one of the few not made by the notorious car-ruiner Jatco.
Oh man, Chris Hanson is going to be quite upset over the Seat news.
And no, no one actually wants a new Mitsubishi, I’m pretty sure they are sold to customers with credit ratings too low to qualify for a new Nissan
I had an Outlander about 6 months ago; it was the only rental I could get. I was immediately reminded of why Mitsu is a forgotten brand, and that sentiment only got worse when I had to keep it for 2 months.
There’s nothing they do that other companies don’t do better. They don’t bring anything new to the table. There’s nothing truly unique about them anymore.
I wonder if Mitsubishi will sell another pickup truck in the US.
https://media.tenor.com/0KEvxoQb5a4AAAAC/doubt-press-x.gif