TOKYO: Mitsubishi looks to shift from a possible partnership with the Renault-Nissan alliance for future small and midsized sedans.
A separate report earlier this year suggested the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi deal was on thin ice, leaving Mitsubishi’s future model plans in limbo.
And now, reportedly Mitsubishi will instead focus on Nissan alone as a future partner on a platform-sharing project.
Such a deal can’t come soon enough for Mitsubishi, with its Lancer model in Australia and overseas left to fight on after seven years in the small car segment ‘until further notice’.
Mitsubishi’s Galant midsizer has been on ice for a few years now, and Nissan could potentially provide the necessary platforms to service new models for Mitsubishi in each segment.
Nissan’s small Pulsar and midsized Altima are much fresher offerings than the Lancer and Gallant they could replace, and an unnamed Nissan source reportedly confirmed that talks are underway.
A future Lancer replacement will get preferential treatment, according to an unnamed source from Mitsubishi, and while the Galant is on the radar it could be some time before any announcement is made.
As for the original deal, a Mitsubishi spokesman reportedly said that the rapidly changing valuation of the Korean Won against the US Dollar threatened the profitability of the project.
The Lancer was the eighth best-selling model in Australia last year in the small car segment under $40,000, ahead of Hyundai’s Elantra, Kia’s Cerato, Honda’s Civic and more, but well behind segment leaders; Toyota’s Corolla and the Mazda3.
