Mitsubishi Motors of North America Experienced Best All-Time Sales for 2023
The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance has been a little quiet, with a lot hinging on each automaker to invest in the new Ampere battery-electric vehicle facility. With new Ampere models planned for Mitsubishi Motors and Nissan this year, we can expect to see some new battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) to enter the Mitsubishi lineup and finally challenge the reign of the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). Well, it’ll have to be some vehicle, because the Outlander Plug-in Hybrid continued to lead sales for the brand annually in 2023.
Breaking into 2024 with new plans to go electric, it’s going to be a big risk for any major automaker making the change. Some sources say the market is looking a little grim, and over here in America, not enough consumers are willing to make the change. It can’t be forced, it’s not like we’ll eventually run out of fossil fuels and electric power will one day be one of several alternative fuel options being currently developed. Even if that was the case, the Outlander PHEV is a good counter-argument for the future of BEVs.
Going up 1.8 percent from 2022, reporting full-year sales of 87,340 units, Mitsubishi Motors of North America (MMNA) did well in 2023. Both of its flagship models, the Mitsubishi Outlander SUV and Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid did well, with the Outlander PHEV experiencing lower sales in 2022. A total of 42,501 gasoline Outlander unit sales represent an annual increase of 3.8 percent, as well as an all-time sales record. That makes 2023 the best year for the Outlander nameplate since it first launched in 2002. A total of 6,681 unit sales represented an increase of 240.7 percent over the previous year for the Outlander plug-in hybrid SUV.
Now the most affordable car in America, the fuel-efficient Mitsubishi Mirage was discontinued in 2023. The Mitsubishi Mirage G4 is suspiciously still around, maybe not for too long, but collectively, the quarterly sales of the two collectively rose 26.9-percent as consumer interest suddenly spiked. When consumers hear a favorite vehicle is going out of style, that’s when they decide to go retro and show some love, and the Mitsubishi Mirage has plenty.
When it comes to new BEVs, we’ll have to wait to see what comes from Ampere for the Japanese automaker. Mitsubishi Motors was supposed to be the first automaker in the Alliance to release a new model to get things going for Alliance 2022, but it never happened, unless we count the Mitsubishi xForce, only being sold in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. We were expecting something more global. Mitsubishi Motors called it the new core model for gasoline vehicles, but no word on how it will affect electrified options.
Right now, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV continues to be the one calling the shots for the automaker in the world of electrified vehicles. Still going in 2024 with a starting MSRP of $40,345 (plus destination fee), the Outlander Plug-in Hybrid comes in only three trims to evenly spread out all of its great features, including a total driving range of 420 miles, with a 38-mile all-electric range (AER). You can find this powerful plug-in hybrid when you look for a new Mitsubishi vehicle at Miami Lakes Automall.