Mitsubishi unafraid of Chinese competitors in an ‘oversupplied’ market

Mitsubishi says it has nothing to fear from the ever-growing array of Chinese brands entering the Australian market, many of which are landing with razor-sharp-priced plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models.

Speaking to carsales at the recent 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander launch, local product strategy manager Jason Griffith said the brand was “very aware” of all the new market entrants and their cut-price PHEVs looking to capitalise on the growing demand for electrified vehicles.

“Mitsubishi’s been in this PHEV space for a long, long time in Australia and awareness around the drivetrains is now increasing rapidly; it’s somewhat good for us because there’s further education out there,” he said.

“The awareness that the newcomers bring to this space is good for us in a way; what Mitsubishi is doing as a brand is focusing on our core values which are customers and our network.”

With models like the BYD Sealion 6, GWM-Haval H6 PHEV, MG HS Super Hybrid and Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid all either here or knocking on the door with similar or greater hybrid capabilities – efficiency, fuel range, performance etc – than the Outlander PHEV for up to $20,000 less when compared spec-for-spec, the upcoming update could prove critical for the Japanese product to keep it competitive, even just on paper.

But rather than be drawn into a pricing war it has no hope of winning, Mitsubishi is sticking to its guns, acknowledging its newfound competition and plans to utilise its legacy auto-maker trump card: reputation.

“We’ve been here a long time; we’ve got this trust among Australian buyers … we’re well aware of the increase in competition and we’re positioning our product in a space that’s still acceptable – we’re not the most expensive out there,” Griffith said.

“As far as competing at that low price point, that’s not our objective and I think we’re here for the long run with offering that customer experience.”

Griffith’s last comment echoed the sentiments of Mitsubishi Australia managing director Shaun Westcott who’d said in a previous address to assembled media, that the brand had been here for almost 50 years and had no plans to leave, even as the industry stared down the barrel of an oversaturated market.

“Our brand promise is that Mitsubishi has been part of Australia’s landscape for 45 years and through that time we’ve built a legacy – we’re here for the long haul,” he said.

“Everyone has a Mitsubishi story, and you can’t buy that sort of heritage.”

The local boss went on to predict a year of negative growth for the brand due to dwindling supply of the retiring first-gen ASX and Eclipse Cross, plus the model changeover between the MY24 and MY25 Outlander, however this apparently wouldn’t be a bad thing.

According to Westcott, the Australian market is in an “unprecedented era” of oversupply that will force brands and, more specifically, dealers to massively discount their inventory in order to clear stock.

This year will therefore be one of foundation in which Mitsubishi will tool-up for a strong 2026 and 2027 with the local introduction of the updated Outlander (July) and Outlander PHEV (September), next-generation ASX (October) and missing Triton variants (July).

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au