Mitsubishi Readies Compact Crossover, Hopes There's Room at the Table for One More

There’s a sea change underway in America — the once-unstoppable passenger car now has a minority market share compared to SUVs and crossovers, according to July sales figures.

Mitsubishi, the troubled but earnest automaker desperately looking to boost its U.S. comeback, has plans to take a bigger slice of the crossover pie. A third utility vehicle is on the way, and it just stepped out from behind the curtain.

Photos of a camouflaged Mitsubishi published by Automotive News reveal a compact, five-passenger crossover sporting a non-revolutionary design. It’s a far cry from the automaker’s eX and XR-PHEV II concepts, despite Mitsubishi CEO Osamu Masuko’s claim that the crossover would borrow styling cues from both.

Two utility vehicles in a lineup just doesn’t cut it anymore, so Mitsubishi plans to shuffle its offerings. The yet-unnamed crossover will slot below the Outlander, but above the Outlander Sport, which Mitsubishi plans to downsize. That way, the Outlander Sport (sold in Canada as the RVR) can take on subcompact crossovers like the Honda HR-V, while the new model does battle with the CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, and other hot-selling rivals.

After nearly going extinct in the U.S. after the recession, Mitsubishi needs a winner to energize its slow sales climb. Both of its crossovers show year-over-year sales growth, but the automaker recently hit a product snag. The long-awaited Outlander PHEV, expected later this year, won’t appear until next summer, Mitsubishi said recently.

Wildly popular in Europe, the plug-in hybrid version of the Outlander launched in Japan in 2013 and just can’t seem to make a successful leap across the pond. When it does arrive, expect the Outlander PHEV to position itself as a cheaper alternative to luxury plug-in crossovers like the Volvo VC90.

The new crossover should enter production in late 2017.

[Image: Mitsubishi Motors]