Mitsubishi and Fiat Team Up for Midsize Pickup
Mitsubishi and Fiat will collaborate on a truck based on the next-gen L200
So here’s something: Mitsubishi and Fiat have signed a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the possibility of co-developing and manufacturing a midsize pickup truck. Wait. What?
Yep. According to Mitsubishi, it will be providing Fiat with new midsize pickup trucks based on the newest generation of its L200. The deal would serve the dual purposes of jumpstarting Fiat’s commercial vehicle sales and increasing manufacturing output at Mitsubishi’s Thailand plant.
Of course, this sounds a bit strange to Americans who don’t associate either company with any sort of pickup truck (the last Mitsubishi retail truck to sell in America was the 1995 Mighty Max), but Fiat has long promised a midsize pickup for customers throughout other parts of the world, and Mitsubishi’s L200 is among its best-selling models.
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Fiat has plans to add five light commercial vehicles to its lineup by 2018 in order to boost that division’s sales up to 6000,000 annually. The L200-based Fiat truck will be aimed primarily at growing the company’s market share in Latin America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
“This is beneficial for both companies because Mitsubishi Motors will boost production and Fiat will strengthen its product lineup,” said Mitsubishi spokesman Tetsuji Inoue.
According to the MoU, Mitsubishi will supply Fiat with between 150,000-170,000 trucks over the course of six years. There are no further plans for cooperation between Mitsubishi and Fiat past their midsize truck project.
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News Source: Reuters
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