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Thread: Mitsubishi rethinking U.S. market

  1. #1
    Senior Member AtomicPunk's Avatar
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    Mitsubishi rethinking U.S. market

    I guess it depends what your definition of "probably" is. Not a great sign...Not definitive, either. Bears watching.


    https://europe.autonews.com/automake...bly-not-option



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    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    Looks like the same story is available at Automotive News - the parent to ANE?

    Next Mitsubishi CEO says U.S. exit 'probably' not an option

    Motor1.com has picked up on the Automotive News story:
    Mitsubishi Boss Says Company Will ‘Probably Not’ Retire From U.S.

    Quote Originally Posted by Motor1.com | May 20, 2019 at 1:26pm
    The new CEO will release a midterm plan before April 2020.

    Takao Kato will likely be Mitsubishi Motors' next CEO, pending the approval at an upcoming shareholders' meeting. Under his watch, the company won't abandon its the North American market, according to Kato's recent statements.

    "Sales are being continued. North America is one of the biggest markets. Therefore, exiting from the sales market would probably not be an option," he said during a press conference, according to Automotive News.

    While Mitsubishi won't stop selling cars in America, he'll likely rework the brand's product line to fit the automaker's "small but beautiful" strategy that will aim for tiny, yet steady profit growth.

    "If you are a big-scale OEM, of course you will be able to secure a profit. But will that be appropriate for us too, at MMC?" Kato said, according to Automotive News. "This is something we believe we should deliberate on going forward."
    The way this article interprets the new CEOs words makes it sound as if their future in North America is assured. It's interesting how different people have such different interpretations of the same words.

    Their story has links to past speculations about the Mirage:
    After Eclipse, Mitsubishi Allegedly Turning Mirage Into Crossover (dated Jul 26, 2018 at 7:19pm - stale, old news now.)

    And Mitsubishi Not Abandoning Cars; New Mirage And Lancer Planned (dated Nov 14, 2018 at 5:55pm)

    Quote Originally Posted by Motor1.com | November 14, 2018
    Mitsubishi chief operating officer Trevor Mann says development on the Mirage successor, which debuted in 2012, has already started; however, it appears development is in the early stages.

    “So the Alliance has a platform which it calls CMF-B, so it’s likely that the next Mirage will be on the CMF-B platform, but not decided yet,” Mann said. The CMF-B platform is set to underpin the next-next-generation Nissan Juke and Renault Clio, and a new Lancer will likely ride on the larger CMF-C platform.
    Fun reading!

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member timw4mail's Avatar
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    So, TL;DR: New CEO, future plans unknown.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2018 Mirage SE 1.2 automatic: 33.6 mpg (US) ... 14.3 km/L ... 7.0 L/100 km ... 40.4 mpg (Imp)


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    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by timw4mail View Post
    So, TL;DR: New CEO, future plans unknown.
    Actually, it's a pretty short article. The kind of article that reeks of clickbait - short on content, intended to deliver ads and get clicks.

    But yeah, I'm sure more automotive journals will have something to say about it, and give it their own spin.

    I didn't find any announcement or release from Mitsubishi. I'd rather hear about it from them than from clickbait journalists.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member dspace9's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AtomicPunk View Post
    I guess it depends what your definition of "probably" is. Not a great sign.
    Mitsubishi's big wigs, they are debating about staying in the USA. Their word "deliberate" should I stay or should I go. Then he says "probably not" about leaving the USA, and last year sales went up 12%. I say who knows, but I get two answers coming from Mtsubishi HQ.

    Not a great sign, and this is coming from the guy who apparently built the old Chrysler/Mitusbishi plant in Illinois in the 80s. That plant then made the Outlander Sport until 2015. So this is someone who knows the global mitsubishi car business that is for sure.
    Last edited by dspace9; 05-20-2019 at 09:45 PM.

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    Where's the leak ma'am? Marklovski's Avatar
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    The new Outlanders seem to be selling really well. I have just started seeing a ton of them around here. Much more common to see a Mitsubishi nowadays.
    Fuel Log: Good enough
    Instagram: @zoras_sapphire

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    Hubcap Enthusiast Scratchpaddy's Avatar
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    While Mitsubishi won't stop selling cars in America, he'll likely rework the brand's product line to fit the automaker's "small but beautiful" strategy that will aim for tiny[...]
    I got pretty excited for a second there. Tiny cars?? Tiny, beautiful cars???

    But no, he's talking about tiny... profits? What kind of business strategy is that? That's positively un-American! Almost as un-American as tiny, beautiful cars!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marklovski View Post
    The new Outlanders seem to be selling really well. I have just started seeing a ton of them around here. Much more common to see a Mitsubishi nowadays.
    For the money, I think Mitsubishi offers a pretty good product. Their vehicles represent a good value. I think some people are recognizing that.

    The lack of quality dealerships in certain areas is their biggest obstacle in my opinion. If you don't live near a large city, the chance of being near a Mitsubishi dealership is slim. Many Mitsubishi dealerships are afterthoughts, too. The latest trend I see is large dealerships carrying numerous brands (sometimes 15-20 brands). Thus, Mitsubishi appears to be a little fish in a big pond. I don't see these Mitsubishi dealerships being all that successful either.

    The Mitsubishi dealerships that are more independent are making more of an effort to sell vehicles. White Bear Mitsubishi in Minnesota for example was a Saturn dealership. When they lost their Saturn product, they embraced Mitsubishi as their new product. They appear to be making more of an effort. The Mirage they delivered to me came from another dealership in the Twin Cities area. I believe that other Mitsubishi dealership has since collapsed.

    Some people like working with a dealership, & that includes doing their service with them. I am not one of those people. If I were one of those consumers, I would have never considered any Mitsubishi product. I'll use a dealership for warranty or recall work, but that's about it.

    I hope Mitsubishi sticks around, but I am not impressed with their network of dealerships. Then again, I am really turned off by my nearest one. If they were better, I may feel differently about all this.

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    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scratchpaddy View Post
    I got pretty excited for a second there. Tiny cars?? Tiny, beautiful cars???

    But no, he's talking about tiny... profits?
    Why do you suppose that is?

    I look to Mitsubishi's recent history for clues. They tried growing their business in North America, but it didn't quite work out. Perhaps now Honda, Toyota, Mazda & Nissan are too established to be challenged by a car company with limited resources.

    Mitsubishi has had some pretty lean years.

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    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    I think if Mitsubishi were going to quit the North American market they would have done so ten years ago when sales...and profits...were really in the tank.

    As long as they stay in the black I can't see any reason for them to leave. That is, unless Mother Nissan tells them to, which would make even less sense. A small profit is still a profit, and there are surely new models in the pipeline.

    I have to believe that Eclipse Cross sales have been disappointing for them, though, which may be why they are executing a slight change in course.



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