As Mitsubishi has realigned its U.S. product line in recent years, crossovers and EVs have gotten most of the company’s attention. But Mitsu hasn’t abandoned its sedan plans altogether, as we learned during a chat with Don Swearingen, executive vice president of Mitsubishi Motors North America.
-The first new sedan to arrive will be a four-door version of the tiny Mirage, a variant that is currently sold elsewhere in the world as the Mirage G4 or the Attrage [pictured above]. That car will arrive next January, Swearingen said, but declined to give any more details state whether it will share the revised styling of the Mirage hatchback, which will debut around the same time. With the Nissan Versa sedan comprising nearly two thirds of all Versa sales, Swearingen said, “clearly [this is] an opportunity for some additional sales.”
-A Lancer replacement, meanwhile, is planned, but the DNA of said car may or may not be pure Mitsubishi. “We’re looking at two different opportunities with the Lancer. We’re looking at a partnership, as well as [working] internally on a new vehicle. To get the volume we’re looking for to make the vehicle a success, I’d like to find a partner. But at the end of the day, if we can’t, [we will build it ourselves.] It’s a car that sells in good volume around the world.”
-Mitsubishi does have a specific partner in mind, according to a report in WardsAuto, but declined to say who that might be. ““We are talking with a potential partner at this time, (but) at the same time we’re doing an internal design of the vehicle…. We’re running parallel because we cannot wait any longer to see if a partnership will work out. If it falls through then we’re another year behind.”
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2015 Mitsubishi Lancer SE
Whether or not a deal comes through, the soonest we could see the new Lancer is 18 months to two years from now, which means that the Lancer Mitsubishi will be selling will be at least a decade old by the time its replacement arrives.
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As for a new Galant, forget about it. After reportedly pursuing a partnership with Nissan a few months ago, Swearingen told WardsAuto that Mitsu is not pursuing a mid-size sedan “due to some unfavorable math.”
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