Not Dead Yet: Mitsubishi Shows Exciting Signs of Life With New Product Road Map

by Chris Teague

Published: May 17th, 2024

not dead yet mitsubishi shows exciting signs of life with new product road map

Mitsubishi has felt like a fading brand for years, but the automaker recently announced a new product roadmap that gives us all a good reason to be hopeful. Among promising one new or completely refreshed vehicle every year between 2026 and 2030, Mitsubishi teased a van that looks an awful lot like a futuristic Delica.

The automaker said it would roll out two new vehicles into segments in which it “does not currently compete.” Beyond the Delica van, that could mean an electric pickup truck or similar model for the American market. Globally, the brand plans nine electric models and seven others by 2030, saying that it will aim for 50 percent of its sales to come from electrified vehicles by the decade’s end.

Mitsubishi’s “alliance” with Nissan could be the stepping stone it needs to deliver an electrified pickup truck. The two are expected to share platforms to lessen the cost of new vehicle development. The automaker’s only electrified vehicle in the United States is the Outlander PHEV, which is also its best current offering.

Despite a complete lack of excitement in its current catalog, I’m rooting for Mitsubishi. After all, this is the company that brought us the Eclipse (not you, fourth-gen), 3000GT, and other iconic vehicles, so it would be nice to see some semblance of a return to greatness for the brand. The electric van also looks rad, and if it’s anything like the D:X concept Mitsu showed last year, we’ll have a futuristic moon lander-looking family hauler to talk about soon.

[Images: Mitsubishi]

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#Mitsubishi #Nissan #MitsubishiDelica

Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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2 of 17 comments

Vulpine on May 18, 2024

My first pickup truck was a Mitsubishi Sport... able to out-accelerate the French Fuego turbo by Renault at the time. I really liked the brand back then because they built a model for every type of driver, including the rather famous 300/3000GT AWD sports car (a car I really wanted, but couldn't afford.)

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- Jeff on May 19, 2024
  
  I had a 1985 Mitsubishi Mighty Max for 14 years. My main issue was availability and cost of parts but since Mitsubishi is sharing some platforms and parts with Nissan that might no longer be an issue. My own preference would be for Mitsubishi to offer a compact pickup available as a hybrid that would compete with the Maverick and Santa Cruz. The compact truck market is one that is under represented and could be a great segment for MItsubishi to grow market share with.
  
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28-Cars-Later on May 21, 2024

I'm not dead, I'm getting better.

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