New Ampere BEV Facility Announces New Upcoming Models for Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors

Earlier this year, we covered three electric concepts by Mitsubishi Motors that could finally make their comeback – the Engelberg Tourer, the Lancer e-Evolution, and the eX concept. Although there hasn’t been any talk about either of these, it would seem that the Japanese automaker might finally be ramping up to release its newest BEV model. Thanks to a solid investment in the Ampere side business, a new battery-electric vehicle (BEV) facility for the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance has been secured, and the first two automakers to benefit from the new business are Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors. We’re just not sure what.

Okay, so let’s back up. What is Ampere? Ampere is a business and a BEV production plant. A subsidiary of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, Ampere is going to shift off the responsibility of producing BEVs and other electrified models from facilities that already have a heavy workload for the rest of the Alliance lineup. That makes sense, given the current Alliance 2030 business strategy that promised 35 new BEV models by 2030. It’s been a year since that plan was announced, and we’ve only seen two major developments – Renault produced a rebadged Clio for the new Mitsubishi Colt, and Mitsubishi Motors released the new core model for its gasoline lineup – the Mitsubishi xForce, an overseas only model, sold in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region.

Back in 2020, Mitsubishi Motors was set up to be the first automaker of the three to release a new model, but we were expecting a BEV model to start the expansion of the electrified lineup. “Challenge 2025” seemed promising, a new business plan by Mitsubishi to roll out some new models, including the new Mitsubishi Colt Hybrid, an Outlander Sport model based off of the Renault, a new Delica (overseas model), the new generation of the new generation of the Mitsubishi Triton, a new unnamed compact SUV, and a minivan were previewed. It would seem that the compact SUV was the xForce, but after investing in Ampere, it would seem Mitsubishi will be getting another midsize SUV soon enough.

According to Renault, the Ampere BEV facility will first focus on Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors. Nissan will benefit from the development of an electric version of the compact Nissan Micra for the European market, with estimates of a 50-percent cost reduction expected. The midsize SUV for the Mitsubishi is in the works, but it’s not so official that we have any specs or pictures of it. All we know is that the BEV from Ampere is currently set for release in its primary markets, Southeast Asia and Europe. The Ampere business and Alliance partners have also confirmed joint projects in Latin America and India, with the latter just starting to go electric. Renault will eventually announce a new model for 2024 to address the growing demand for BEVs in its respective regions and primary markets.

Nissan and Mitsubishi are set to invest up to $644 million and $215 million, respectively, in Ampere. Renault has already set the stage with 15 plants currently manufacturing parts, motors, and batteries for 10 upcoming BEV models. With the increased sharing of resources between the three in Ampere to spearhead production, we should get more information on the new medium SUV for Mitsubishi soon. Here’s hoping it’s the Lancer BEV crossover or e-Volution concept the automaker has been teasing for years.

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Photo Source/Copyright: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance