Mitsubishi to Focus on SUVs and Crossovers for Its Lineup
The Mitsubishi brand, once known for its small, sporty cars, is instead shifting focus towards larger utility vehicles
Photo: Mitsubishi
Even just a few years ago, Mitsubishi’s vehicle lineup was populated by small, sporty cars like the Lancer, Evo, and Eclipse. Now, its model lineup is mostly comprised of SUVs and Crossovers, with the Mitsubishi Mirage serving as the exception.
There’s two major reasons for this model lineup shift. First of all, the SUV segment is the most financially lucrative at the moment. Secondly, Mitsubishi states that it wants to focus primarily on a single vehicle segment.
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According to Mitsubishi U.K.’s managing director Rob Lindley, Mitsubishi’s major market focus is currently built around SUVs, crossovers, and alternative fuel technology. The Mirage remains in Mitsubishi’s lineup due primarily to its affordability.
As for why Mitsubishi wishes to focus on one vehicle segment in particular, Lindley states that due to the relatively small size of the automaker’s global operations, that decision makes the most sense.
“As a business that sells 1.2 million cars worldwide, in a global sense, it’s not a big business,” Lindley explained during an interview with Car Throttle. “If you try and be in all the different segments of the market and follow trends, like sports cars, it would be difficult to be economically viable.”
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That’s not to say Mitsubishi isn’t nostalgic for its more enthusiast-oriented days. Lindley stated that having a devoted enthusiast fanbase can lead to sales for vehicles outside of the sports car segment as well.
Still, with the popularity of SUVs and crossovers continuing to climb ever higher, it would seem that Mitsubishi is sticking with utility models for the foreseeable future.
News Source: Car Throttle
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