Mitsubishi News: What Mitsubishi Dealers Want

[Drew Dowdell]

Mitsubishi dealers are living in interesting times.  After a tumultuous fall in sales after the recession, the last year and a quarter has given Mitsubishi double digit gains in sales.  Sales for 2018 rose 14 percent and so far this year, sales are up an astonishing 17.6 percent. 

The question for Mitsubishi is where do they go from here?  With two small crossovers, a large one, and a subcompact car, the next logical answer for their dealers is adding a mid-size pickup to the mix.  Mitsubishi last offered a pickup in the Mitsubishi Raider which was a rebadged Dodge Dakota. 

Now part of the Nissan-Renault alliance, Mitsubishi is reportedly taking the lead on building the platform for the next line of trucks for the trio. Mitsubishi currently builds the Triton for other global markets, while Nissan fields the Navara, and Renault produces the Alaskan.  All three would be consolidated to a single platform headed by the Mitsubishi effort in about 5 years.  Five years is an eternety in the automotive world, but it may be that the dealerships would need to wait that long to get their wish. 

It was recently revealed that Nissan is working on a next generation Nissan Frontier, but that truck will use an updated version of its current platform rather than move to a global one.  Still it is possible that a future Frontier could move to the Mitsubishi based platform that is years away from production.

In the meantime, Mitsubishi is working to expand its dealership network. There are some markets in the US where the brand is non-existent. So Mitsubishi is looking to expand in markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, New York, and Boston. 

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[G. David Felt]

I would agree they need a truck and a Mini pickup and mid size would be best for them. Just something better looking than the mess above.

[Drew Dowdell]

8 minutes ago, dfelt said:

I would agree they need a truck and a Mini pickup and mid size would be best for them. Just something better looking than the mess above.

I remember when writing the Frontier article that Nissan decided the Navara was too small for US tastes.  Maybe this is a way for them to sell the Navara here and avoid stepping on the Frontier's toes much.  Still, I would have liked to see the Triton here in the U.S., it's not a bad looking truck.

[riviera74]

Call me skeptical.  I doubt anyone will actually BUY a Mitsubishi pickup truck of any sort.

[regfootball]

cockroaches, you can never kill them off.

[daves87rs]

Scary front end....

[regfootball]

a lot of the manufacturers that dont make a lot of trucks could really develop one unified global platform for mid size trucks.  Nissan, Mits, PSA, FCA, just about anyone besides Ford and GM, could make one global truck platform and just build models off that.  

[Drew Dowdell]

That's what it sounds like Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Renault after planning to do

[riviera74]

13 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

That's what it sounds like Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Renault after planning to do

Oh really? Now why would anyone BUY a unibody pickup truck from Nissan or Mitsubishi or Renault?  Have they not learned from the failure that is the Honda Ridgeline?

[Drew Dowdell]

1 minute ago, riviera74 said:

Oh really? Now why would anyone BUY a unibody pickup truck from Nissan or Mitsubishi or Renault?  Have they not learned from the failure that is the Honda Ridgeline?

Who said it was unibody? If it's the replacement for the Navara and Triton, then it will be body on frame.

[smk4565]

What would probably make sense is to build Electric vehicles, since such a huge portion of Mitsubishi's business is you know, Electric.

[balthazar]

14 hours ago, regfootball said:

a lot of the manufacturers that dont make a lot of trucks could really develop one unified global platform for mid size trucks.  Nissan, Mits, PSA, FCA, just about anyone besides Ford and GM, could make one global truck platform and just build models off that.  

Why? What's the point?

[regfootball]

2 hours ago, balthazar said:

Why? What's the point?

for those fringe manufacturers in the truck market it doesn't make sense to have a huge investment by themselves.  if they just want something to round out the product line and 'be in the market' vs. being a dominant player like ford and chevy

[balthazar]

What consumer would bother buying a rebadged global small truck if another mainstream brand original was available?
A mitshubishi pick-up could only move product by radically undercutting in price/ cutting features/capability. Guess where I'm going is; it wouldn't work in the USDM.

[Drew Dowdell]

1 hour ago, balthazar said:

What consumer would bother buying a rebadged global small truck if another mainstream brand original was available?
A mitshubishi pick-up could only move product by radically undercutting in price/ cutting features/capability. Guess where I'm going is; it wouldn't work in the USDM.

There are no small trucks in the US. If Mitsubishi comes in with a smaller truck at a lower price it could work. 

[riviera74]

2 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

There are no small trucks in the US. If Mitsubishi comes in with a smaller truck at a lower price it could work. 

Americans do not want a small truck.  Other people worldwide might, but a small truck will not sell here to make it profitable.

[Drew Dowdell]

29 minutes ago, riviera74 said:

Americans do not want a small truck.  Other people worldwide might, but a small truck will not sell here to make it profitable.

I dunno. I think no one has tried since the old Ranger.

[balthazar]

Ranger, S-10, LUV, Courier, nissan, toyota…. all the small pickups from the '70s into the '90s disappeared. There's a reason...

[Drew Dowdell]

4 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Ranger, S-10, LUV, Courier, nissan, toyota…. all the small pickups from the '70s into the '90s disappeared. There's a reason...

It can't hurt for Mitsubishi to try.  They already have to build it for other markets anyway, why not try and sell a few here too?

[riviera74]

2 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

It can't hurt for Mitsubishi to try.  They already have to build it for other markets anyway, why not try and sell a few here too?

Because a small truck, just like subcompacts, do not sell well here in the USA.

[Drew Dowdell]

51 minutes ago, riviera74 said:

Because a small truck, just like subcompacts, do not sell well here in the USA.

We haven't had a good one here in so long, there's no way to tell how the market would respond these days.

[riviera74]

1 hour ago, Drew Dowdell said:

We haven't had a good one here in so long, there's no way to tell how the market would respond these days.

Fair point.  I just don't see who would buy a small truck.  The midsize trucks seem to be doing very well.

[Drew Dowdell]

4 minutes ago, riviera74 said:

Fair point.  I just don't see who would buy a small truck.  The midsize trucks seem to be doing very well.

15 years ago I would have said a car like the venue would never sell. Now it probably will be one of Hyundai's best sellers

[ocnblu]

Volkswagen and Ford are coming with mini trucks.  Of course Mitsubishi could join that fray.

[balthazar]

I think of small/mini trucks as akin to the car within it's segment with the by-far smallest trunk/interior room. 

I've yet to hear anyone brag/be happy about that.