Mitsubishi relaunches the Outlander in Europe
- After announcing its departure from the European market, the Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi (in which Nissan has held a 34% stake since 2016), reversed its decision by adopting the bodies and engines of the Renault Clio and Captur, for the Mitsubishi Colt and Mitsubishi ASX. Several other Renault-based models are planned by 2028, such as a rebadging of the Renault Scenic E-Tech in 2026 and a rebadging of the Renault R5 E-Tech in 2027. These two models will be the first battery electric from the Mitsubishi brand since the end of the i-Miev which were rebranded as Citroën C-Zero and Peugeot Ion.
- Two other end-of-life models continue to be marketed by Mitsubishi until the end of the year, these are the Space Star (A/B-segment sedan) and the Eclipse Cross (C-SUV segment ). In 2023, out of 41,441 Mitsubishis sold in Europe (EU + UK + Switzerland + Norway), the Space Star represented 23,012 units, the ASX 8,432 units, the Eclipse Cross 8,244 units and the Colt 1,662 units.
- To complete its European range and increase the level of its sales, Mitsubishi has decided to bring the plug-in hybrid Outlander back to the European market, after its ending in 2021. The Outlander is in fact very well known in Europe, having been there distributed in approximately 425,000 units since 2006 and because it was the pioneer of plug-in hybrid vehicles marketed at a large scale.
- The new Outlander, known in Japan since 2020, will therefore make its return to Europe by the end of 2024. It owes nothing to Renault, its main engine being a 2.3 liter petrol with 136 hp coupled to a 116 hp electric motor at the front and another at the rear, delivering a total of 302 hp distributed to all four wheels. In its best years, the old Outlander achieved 40,000 sales per year in Europe. Estimated price of the new one: approximately 48,000 euros.