三菱「ミラージュ」に電気自動車構想！【ミラージュ-MiEV】誕生？Ethical & LifeHack

• 11月発表【最新新車販売ランキング】：「アクア」と「NBOX」がプリウス超え！

• 三菱「アウトランダーPHEV」発表！【4WD】で【2013年初め】発売！

三菱 ミラージュ 新型、EV設定の可能性を示唆…益子社長



三菱自動車の新型グローバルコンパクトカー、『ミラージュ』。同車に、EVバージョンが用意される可能性が出てきた。

これは11月12日、『オートモーティブニュース』が報じたもの。同メディアの取材に応じた三菱自動車の益子修社長は、「ミラージュに将来、EVバージョンを設定することになるだろう」と話したという。

すでに、軽自動車の『i』をベースに開発したEV、『i-MiEV』を、日本や欧米に投入している三菱自動車。新型ミラージュにEVが用意された場合、同社の乗用EVとしては第二弾となる。

ところで、三菱自動車は米国の新車販売で苦戦している。スズキが米国市場からの撤退を決めたばかりだが、同メディアに対して、益子社長は、「米国市場からの撤退は絶対にない」とコメント。商品ラインナップの刷新で、販売を上向かせる意向を示したという。

Mitsubishi outlines new U.S. comeback plan
U.S. strategy keys: 3 new vehicles, higher local output



TOKYO -- Mitsubishi Motors Corp. has had a dismal year.

Its U.S. lineup dropped four mainstay vehicles, U.S. sales have plunged 29 percent, market share has shriveled to 0.4 percent from 0.7 percent and it is tied with Fiat for the industry's most unsold inventory at a 133-day supply as of Nov. 1.

Moreover, its i electric vehicle, envisioned as a halo car to tout Mitsubishi's advanced technology, is a flop.

But President Osamu Masuko isn't discouraged. He has a U.S. comeback plan that aims to boost sales 45 percent to 80,000 units in the next fiscal year, from a projected 55,000 in the one ending March 31.

Masuko wants to pump up Mitsubishi's eviscerated lineup with two new vehicles next year and a third in 2014, and ramp up local production.

He has appointed a new North American boss and is targeting annual sales of 100,000 as early as 2014. Above all, Masuko says, Mitsubishi has no plans to follow fellow Japanese niche player Suzuki Motor Corp. in exiting U.S. auto sales.

"We have no intention whatsoever of withdrawing from the U.S. market," Masuko told Automotive News. "The U.S. market is a very important market."

Mitsubishi will start selling the redesigned Outlander crossover in the United States in July and begin importing the Mirage small car from Thailand in September, Masuko said. The plug-in hybrid version of the Outlander crossover will go on sale in the United States in January 2014, he said.

"What we have to do is to provide these dealers with attractive products," he said. "If you don't provide dealers attractive products, they are not going to invest in their dealerships."

Masuko's comments were Mitsubishi's first confirmation that the pint-sized Mirage hatchback would make it stateside. Masuko said the company had delayed a decision because brisk demand was causing supply constraints at its Thailand plant.

The plant is running "at full capacity of 150,000 units. And even at that level, it's not keeping up with orders," Masuko said. "So in mid next year, we are going to increase the capacity of the Thailand plant from 150,000 vehicles to 200,000 units."

Mitsubishi also plans to boost production at its Normal, Ill., plant that makes about 50,000 Outlander Sport small crossovers a year.

Masuko intends to increase output to 70,000 units next year, with production supporting increased exports to markets such as Russia, Latin America and the Middle East. "This was a very big decision for us," Masuko said. "We're going to have an export base in the United States."

Mitsubishi's U.S. sales fell 29 percent to 50,103 through October. Among Japanese brands, only Suzuki sold fewer.

Mitsubishi's U.S. sales slide follows the discontinuation of four main vehicles: the Eclipse coupe, Eclipse Spyder convertible, Galant sedan and Endeavor crossover.

To lead the rebound, Masuko last month named Gayu Uesugi chairman of Mitsubishi Motors North America.

The move was part of a new strategy to dedicate a board member to each of three critical regions where Mitsubishi aims to boost its business, Masuko said. The other regions, China and Japan, were assigned board members as lead troubleshooters.

Uesugi will give up his duties as head of product development, research and cost control to focus exclusively on North America, Masuko said. He will likely be based in Illinois to be close to Mitsubishi's factory.

Masuko also said the upcoming Mirage will get an electric vehicle variant. But that car is unlikely to make it to the United States, where the i has sold only 469 units through October, compared with earlier projections for 20,000 a year.

Mitsubishi has no plans for an EV successor to the i and will likely shift its focus toward plug-in and traditional hybrids.

"Rather than EVs," Masuko said, "we have greater expectations for plug-ins in the United States."

• 日産「リーフ」が【年末】に【新デザイン】？【低価格版】？【新型EV】に？

同じカテゴリの記事

• 三菱「新型デリカD6」登場間近？PHEV化＆パリダカ仕様復活で大反撃へ！ (2022/05/06)
• 三菱「新型アウトランダー」にラリーアート仕様追加でアウトドア色満載に？ (2022/05/03)
• 三菱「新型エクリプスクロスPHEV」はランエボXを超えた？！試乗レポート詰め合わせ！ (2020/11/10)
• 【衝撃】三菱「国産ジェット」開発中止...技術者対立/開発費1兆円超え/コロナ赤字... (2020/10/25)
• 【悲報】三菱「パジェロ」工場閉鎖で撤退へ...海外モデルもいつまでやるのか？の声... (2020/07/26)
• 社員が選ぶ「三菱自動車総選挙」ベスト10を発表！第1位はパジェロではなく...あの名車！ (2020/06/05)
• 三菱「新型ミラージュ」日本発売が4月16日？実車が日本国内で発見される！ (2020/04/14)
• 三菱「新型ミラージュ」デザイン改良で新フェイスに！日本モデルも近々改良へ？ (2019/12/03)
• 【世界初】三菱「ミラージュ」新デザイン公開！カッコイイ？カッコ悪い？11/18発売！ (2019/11/11)
• 三菱「ALL BLACKS 仕様」SUVを発売！ラグビーNZ代表公認の限定モデルは真っ黒！ (2019/10/23)
• 三菱「パジェロ」販売終了でついに「パジェロスポーツ」国内販売か？新型は来年登場！ (2019/09/13)
• 【吉報】三菱「ランエボ」復活！メガーヌRSのルノーエンジン搭載のSUVクーペか？ (2019/08/24)
• 軽自動車×キャンプ＝車中泊にピッタリな軽ワゴンベスト5を発表！ekクロスが早くも… (2019/07/19)
• 三菱「新型パジェロスポーツ」デザイン公開で7/25発表へ！日本発売にも期待大？ (2019/07/15)
• 三菱「パジェロスポーツ」日本発売へ：新型のスパイショット撮影成功で2020年日本へ！ (2019/07/07)