New Sedan and Pickup Possible as Mitsubishi Mulls U.S. Strategy

While nothing is set in stone just yet, Mitsubishi should have a blueprint for its U.S. product strategy as early as September. The automaker, recently enlivened by its entry into the Renault-Nissan Alliance, suddenly finds itself with new options on the table as it plots a course towards greater U.S. market share.

Part of that strategy will likely mean covering segments now left empty in the brand’s product lineup. Before entering the Alliance, Mitsubishi’s main goal was getting more utility vehicles out the door, and that will remain the company’s growth driver in the near future, says chief operating officer Trevor Mann.

Still, the newfound ability to share components and platforms with Nissan opens the door to interesting new possibilities, and Mann knows what he wants.

Speaking to Automotive News, Mann suggested a sedan and pickup could be on the way. After the company ends production of the aging Lancer this year, Mitsubishi, which once fielded a model in each passenger car segment, will have only the subcompact hatchback Mirage and subcompact sedan Mirage G4. A midsize pickup would allow the brand access to a growing and potentially lucrative U.S. market.

Overseas, Mitsubishi sells the Triton/L200 — basically, a rebadged Nissan Navara — but America’s long-derided chicken tax has kept the model an ocean away. The Alliance could change that. As the two companies look to join forces on a new pickup for Southeast Asia, the same could occur in North America.

It’s not just Nissan’s hardware that Mitsubishi has access to, but also cash and capacity. Carlos Ghosn, CEO of both companies, wants the struggling brand to revive its fortunes by using Nissan as a crutch where necessary.

Just a year after Mitsubishi closed its only U.S. assembly plant, Mann mulled a production footprint could return — possibly by piggy-backing on Nissan’s.

“It’s something that we should look at,” he said. “As we go forward and start to have common platforms, an alliance pickup platform would be quite an appropriate thing for us to do.”

Nissan builds its long-in-the-tooth Frontier (based on the previous-generation Navara) in Canton, Mississippi, and has said a next-generation model wouldn’t borrow from the redesigned 2018 Navara. Christian Meunier, senior vice president of Nissan North America, recently said he wants “something better” than a Navara clone, adding that Americans like “real trucks.”

A jointly developed pickup, plus a badge-engineered Nissan sedan (Galant? Diamante?), would give Mitsubishi the product it needs. In the meantime, Mann wants to expand the brand’s dealer footprint in the U.S. and continue its utility vehicle product strategy.

“The answer to your prayers is not just adding nameplates,” Mann said. “You’ve got to make sure the nameplates you’ve got are working for you. And we’ve got scope for improvement.”

This year should see the repeatedly delayed Outlander PHEV finally arrive stateside after becoming a hit in Europe. As well, the compact Eclipse Cross will bow as a 2018 model, providing unexpected competition for the brand’s Outlander Sport.

[Image: Mitsubishi Motors]