Report: Nissan and Mitsubishi Model Sharing To Yield Two New Vehicles Next Year
Badge engineering, using one basic vehicle design for an array of models from different brands, carried the American auto industry for decades, and it’s still a thing today in many segments. Nissan and Mitsubishi are trying their luck with the practice, starting with a new Mitsubishi crossover based on the Nissan Leaf in 2026.
Nissan announced the new Leaf a short while ago, showing an electric crossover instead of the hatchback we’ve known for years. It will be the automaker’s first vehicle with a Tesla NACS port installed at the factory, and Nissan said it would offer more upscale features for the car when it arrives.
Mitsubishi gets a new crossover from the deal, but Nissan isn’t leaving empty-handed. It will release a new plug-in hybrid model based on one of Mitsubishi’s designs, likely the Outlander PHEV. Nissan hasn’t given any details other than to issue a quick teaser for the vehicle, which most expect to arrive as an electrified version of the popular Rogue crossover.
The announcement comes as Nissan grapples with tariff impacts. It recently announced an increase in Rogue production at its factory in Tennessee and said it would also boost output at its facility in Mississippi as the duties on imported vehicles increase. The move will push the Tennessee factory’s output by more than half, helping the company skirt tariffs and hold onto its workforce, though that could change in today’s rapidly shifting environment.
[Images: Nissan, Mitsubishi]
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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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Both brands are pretty much going down the tubes fast. Nissan with it's CVT trans and Mitsubishi with it's lost performance creds are never coming back. They should seriously think about a redo with a new name.
Does the planet and market need another model? The market seems swamped with models. Several years to shake out the dead wood then a few new faces may be a better strategy? Meanwhile, the industry is overwhelmed with new makes & models - does this make economic sense?