Innovation, excitement put Mitsubishi in the driver’s seat

Last year, the big story in the automotive industry from a sales perspective was Jeep. They shot past their competitors to post their best numbers in history just five years since their big drop during the recession. This year, Mitsubishi seems poised to be the comeback kids.

Perhaps it’s wrong to call it a comeback. That was last year when they saw a 24.8% increase to cap off their second consecutive growth year. What makes this 2015 potentially special is that they accomplished their sales increase from a defensive perspective. This year, they’re going on the offensive.

“We went through some terrible times that clearly challenged us as well as our dealer base,” said Don Swearingen, Executive VP of Mitsubishi Motors North America. “My focus is not only to get Mitsubishi back to profitability in North America, but to make sure our dealers are profitable.”

It seems to be working. Mitsubishi dealers from Miami to Indianapolis to Los Angeles are feeling the love from the manufacturer. More importantly, they’re feeling the love from the consumers. This momentum will likely continue as the company has six new vehicles planned in the coming year for introduction or revision. The most excitement surrounds newcomers Mirage G4 sedan and Outlander plug-in hybrid.

They have also increased emphasis on rolling out their new design language with the 2016 Outlander slated to demonstrate it next month at the New York Auto Show. This emphasis will be a central focus of innovation while development of vehicles is being channeled through negotiations. The company was negotiating to produce a new midsized sedan as a joint venture with South Korea’s Renault Samsung Motors. Now, they’re considering turning to Nissan for this segment. Mitsubishi hasn’t had an entry into the midsized sedan segment since discontinuing the Galant in 2012.

Regardless of whether they get back into midsized sedans or not, their focus is going to be on the general plug-in hybrid market, highlighting the Mirage and Outlander Sport as their key sellers.