Aussie tuning coming for Mitsubishi Outlander

Mitsubishi appears set to follow in the tyre tracks of Kia and Hyundai by applying a specific local chassis tune to the models it sells in Australia, starting with the new Mitsubishi Outlander.

The chief engineer for the Mitsubishi Outlander, Kentaro Honda, told carsales that a local tuning program is underway for the Outlander in Australia, in order to provide the vehicle with a unique selling point.

Down Under for the local launch of the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid EV, the senior Mitsubishi executive said Australia was becoming an increasingly important market for the car-maker.

Local testing of the latest Mitsubishi Outlander was planned to begin prior to its Aussie launch in late 2021, but COVID scuppered those plans. However, the brand is still pushing ahead with a local development program, the results of which we understand will bear fruit in the form of a technical update for the Outlander either next year or in early 2024.

The local chassis tuning strategy has paid dividends for Korean sister brands Hyundai and Kia, both of which have produced vehicles better suited to Australian road conditions in recent years – with the notable exception of the new Hyundai IONIQ 5, Tucson and Palisade, due to the COVID pandemic.

The resulting improvement in ride, handling and steering has been recognised in the form of awards, including from carsales, and improved brand perception in the local market.

Mitsubishi’s focus on the Aussie market comes after a recent trip to Australia by Mitsubishi Motor Corporation (MMC) global CEO, Takao Kato. After attending a national dealer conference he spent time talking with regular Aussies, including tradies and caravaners, to get a better understanding of local needs.

Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Westcott confirmed that Australia is now recognised as a key global market by the Japanese car-maker and more local testing is a by-product of this rise in prominence.

“The fact that Kato-san has been here, talking to our consumers and understanding our market, it’s all about how we position ourselves and the products we build for the future,” said Westcott.

“That’s why we have R&D teams here. They’ve been embedded here for a number of months working very closely with us assessing vehicles in local conditions,” he said.

While it’s not yet clear how significant the changes to the Outlander will be, Mitsubishi Australia’s senior manager of product strategy Owen Thomson said the company has always conducted vehicle testing locally, just not at this level.

“The flood gates have opened,” he stated. “So [the testing] it’s always been happening, but what’s a little bit different this time is that we’re classified as a core market and that level of interest and attention from MMC has been ramped up.

“It’s about getting the message through to a top level about what our needs are for Australia,” said the product planning boss, adding that Aussie consumers will be the beneficiaries.

It’s not clear if the Outlander’s new Aussie chassis tune will be applied globally or whether it will remain unique to Australia, and Thomson was careful not to give too much away at this early stage.

“I guess we’re talking about hypotheticals and I don’t have the answer as to how this [local development strategy] will pan out. But certainly there’s attention from MMC and recognition that we do have unique conditions, and a big variety of road conditions and different use cases too.”

Mitsubishi has leapfrogged Kia and Hyundai to become Australia’s third most popular auto brand so far in 2022 – largely on the back of booming Triton sales – behind only Toyota and Mazda.

The new-generation Triton, which is set to launch in late 2023 following extensive Australian development input, is expected to bolster Mitsubishi Australia’s podium sales position, and could be among the first utes available with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

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