Mitsubishi to share SUV platforms

Mitsubishi has confirmed that the first fruits of shared product development with Nissan and Renault will be small and medium SUVs, with Mitsubishi’s PHEV technology available to Nissan and Renault for future midsize models such as Nissan X-TRAIL and Renault Koleos.

New Mitsubishi global boss Ashwani Gupta told carsales the news yesterday during a whirlwind tour of Australia to familiarise himself with the local market.

The former Nissan LCV boss wouldn’t divulge detail of which specific platforms Mitsubishi would share but confirmed that small or medium SUVs would be built on platforms the company co-developed with Alliance partners, Nissan and Renault.

“We will have a common platform for C and D segment. As for which model we will put on it, we will have to wait until we do the launch announcements.

“We have not announced the timing,” he stated.

Although Gupta wouldn’t confirm whether Nissan or Renault will take up the next Outlander’s PHEV powertrain for their SUVs, he did technology was already being shared between the companies.

“We exchange our technologies. For example for the next Outlander, which has a common platform, we obviously share the powertrains with each other. As far as it makes sense in terms of synergies, we exchange the technologies, we exchange the platforms,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Mitsubishi’s long-serving Pajero large SUV (which has been around in essentially the same form since 1999) is yet to be given the green-light for replacement.

“It’s too early to say, as we’re still continuing production for Australia. We are still working on the next mid-term plan,” Gupta hedged.

As for how long the current Pajero can continue (it remains on sale only in few markets including Australia and South Africa), Gupta said that it depended on the market demand and legislation.

“For sure this kind of model needs high maintenance -- the regulations and so on. It’s very niche,” he explained.

Gupta was able to confirm that Lancer is dead as a global model [it is still sold in China and Taiwan], with Mitsubishi putting its focus on its popular LCV and SUV models.

“I think we’ve already announced that we’re not [continuing with Lancer].”

While he did not say that Mitsubishi was backing out of the passenger-car market (the company still offers the Mirage micro hatch), he said the market’s direction was clear.

“In 2014, passenger cars were contributing to 69 per cent of the Australian market, 31 percent was SUV/trucks. Today, 70 per cent is SUV and trucks, and 30 per cent are passenger cars.

“This is not the result of Mitsubishi strategy, this is result of customer evolution, what the customer is looking for. Looking at Australian drivers’ aspirations, I do believe SUV and truck will flourish.”

“What we want to do is focus and improve more and more on our core strength, which are the three core models -- Triton, Pajero Sport and Outlander.

“We will do everything, anything on these three core products to make them more competitive in the market,” the Mitsubishi chief stated.