Mitsubishi might not end up joining the Honda-Nissan merger, but it’s not giving up on life just yet. The automaker recently announced its first mass-market electric vehicle* for the U.S. market, which is due in 2026.
The new EV will be built in Japan and will debut at the same time as a new, beefier Outlander model. We don’t have details on the EV, but Automotive News reported that the vehicle will be a small coupe-shaped crossover close in size to the Nissan Leaf, which will see a replacement soon.
*There was the i-MiEV, but that was a niche product.
While Mitsubishi dealers will likely be happy to see a new model, it likely won’t move in the same numbers as the brand’s recently discontinued Mirage, which was, for a long time, one of the most affordable vehicles in the country. A chair of the Mitsubishi National Advisory Board told AutoNews, “It’s probably a solution to the OEM problem, but not a solution to move volume. It’s going to be hard to make up for Mirage in volume with the EV.”
The automaker wants to boost volume in 2025, and it may cut Outlander Sport pricing to help move more inventory in the wake of the Mirage’s discontinuation. Dealer profitability is a top priority this year, and it plans to release a new or redesigned model every year between 2026 and 2030 as part of its rebuilding efforts.
[Images: Mitsubishi]
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