2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Se on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV arrives in UK with 'no' price premium

For UK buyers who are interested in a plug-in hybrid SUV, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV just got a little bit sweeter. The reason is that the base model of the vehicle will be available with or without a plug for the same price at the base diesel model. "If it's not going to save people money, they won't buy it" - Mitsubishi UK's Lance Bradley According to Cars UK, the price for the Outlander PHEV will be GBP28,249 (about $47,000 US) after a government grant of GBP5,000. In other words, the plug-in SUV actually costs GBP33,249 ($55,000) but thanks to pro-EV regulations, buyers can choose the powertrain they want, not the one they can afford. The managing director of Mitsubishi UK, Lance Bradley, told BusinessCar that it just makes sense to price the two vehicles at the same level. "There are some clever cars in the market but they're all too expensive," he said. "There should be a clear cost benefit because if it's not going to save people money, they won't buy it. The Outlander PHEV has an all-electric range of 32 miles, a top speed of 75 miles per hour in EV mode and a towing capacity of over 3,000 pounds. The SUV invades Britain in May and is scheduled to arrive in the US in 2015. Mitsubishi Motors North America's Melvin Bautista told AutoblogGreen that the UK price equivalence doesn't mean anything for the US, and that the company hasn't even begun the pricing for the vehicle in the US. The way the vehicles are packaged in the UK is also be different than how things work in the US, so we can't read anything into the UK price. Another factor is that, at the time when the PHEV launches in the US, the standard gasoline version will be undergoing a light facelift, which will also be applied to the PHEV model. This isn't the first time an alternative-fuel powertrain vehicle has cost the same as the old-fashioned gas model. The 2013 Lincoln MKZ could be had with a 2.0-liter hybrid or a 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder for the same price.

Mitsubishi boss says US operations may break even next year

Mitsubishi has lost money in its North America operations every year since 2007, but in an interview at this week's Tokyo Motor Show, company president Osamu Masuko said, "If things keep going well, it might be the case that we break even this year," Automotive News reports.
A little context: Last month Mitsubishi predicted that it would lower its operating loss in the region to 4-billion yen ($40.7 million) by March 31, the end of the fiscal year, well below the previous fiscal year's operating loss of more than five times that amount. Reflecting that, production at the Japanese automaker's sole North American factory in Normal, Illinois, has grown to 56,630 vehicles through October, compared to 27,339 through the same period last year.
The plant makes the Outlander Sport for the US and for export to markets such as Russia, the Middle East and Latin America. Interestingly, out of the 56,630 Outlander Sports built at the Illinois plant through October, only 20,150 were sold in the US.

VW was 2018's top-selling automaker — but

TOKYO — Volkswagen Group has held on to its position as the world's top-selling automaker for the fifth year in a row, although the German group was edged out again by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance in the light-duty vehicles segment. Renault SA, Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Mitsubishi Motors Corp together sold 10.76 million passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in 2018, according to Reuters' calculations after new data released on Wednesday. The group doesn't sell heavy trucks. Nissan said on Wednesday it sold 5.65 million vehicles last year, down 2.8 percent on the year. Mitsubishi reported an 18 percent rise in sales to 1.22 million units while Renault sold 3.88 million units, up 3.2 percent on the year. Volkswagen's deliveries rose 0.9 percent to a record 10.83 million last year, including its MAN and Scania heavy trucks, the German company said earlier this month. Excluding heavy trucks, it sold 10.6 million units. Toyota Motor Corp retained its third spot, announcing on Wednesday that it had sold 10.59 million vehicles last year including its Toyota and Lexus brands, along with minicars made by subsidiary Daihatsu and light and heavy trucks produced by its truck division Hino Motors Ltd. Excluding Hino trucks, Toyota sold 10.39 million units last year. The automaker has said it expects to sell a total of 10.76 million vehicles in 2019. Many automakers are trying to boost sales volumes to achieve economies of scale and reduce costs amid soaring investments needed to develop next-generation technologies, including self-driving cars and electric vehicles. This has been a focus of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Motors group, which is looking to share more vehicle parts and consolidate production platforms to trim R&D and manufacturing costs, while raising profitability. The alliance, which brought Mitsubishi Motors into its fold in 2016, is currently in crisis with its former Chairman Carlos Ghosn arrested and indicted on charges of misconduct. Nissan has also been indicted, and Renault appointed new top management last week. Related Video: Earnings/Financials Mitsubishi Nissan Toyota Volkswagen