Q1 2024 Sales for Mitsubishi Motors Have Interesting Developments

We finally made it past the first quarter (Q1) of 2024. It always feels like the longest first three months of the year, but spring is here, and so are the final Q1 sales for automakers. The numbers are in and battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales are still going up. Unsurprisingly enough, though, internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles are still in the lead for a number of automakers. This is especially so for Mitsubishi Motors. Even though the automaker stands by its plug-in hybrid electric SUV, the Outlander PHEV, sales for the plug-in dropped, and sales for its sole crossover, the Eclipse Cross, shot right up. Just look at these numbers for Mitsubishi Motors Q1.

All-in-all, quarterly sales went up by 35.7 percent on a year-over-year scale. That just means, Q1 2024 is better than Q1 2023, but that’s not the interesting part. The Mitsubishi Outlander is still benefiting from its next-gen release in 2022, achieving its second-best quarterly sales total in the history of the nameplate. The Outlander SUV saw a year-over-year increase of 41.1 percent, selling a total of 13,846 units. That’s still not the interesting part.

Here is where it gets interesting. In August 2023, Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) announced that it was going to discontinue the Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback. This officially made the Mitsubishi Mirage the most affordable car in America, plus its well-known amazing fuel economy of 36 mpg in the city and 43 mpg on the highway. Maybe it’s the whole “get it while supplies last” ideology, or maybe discontinuing something makes it a collector’s item for bragging rights later down the road. Either way, the discontinuation of the Mitsubishi Mirage may have been the best thing to happen for the hatchback and its G4 sedan. The 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage went up 93 percent in sales for Q1 2024, selling 5003 units.

Now it gets even more interesting. Mitsubishi Motors is proud of its Outlander Plug-in Hybrid SUV. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has seen many successful years overseas, and made quite the splash when it came to North America. In 2023, sales for the Outlander PHEV had actually gone up, showing a continued interest in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). Putting that aside, the current sales for the Outlander PHEV are slim, going down in sales by 75 unitss. It makes us wonder why they still want to keep the Outlander PHEV as the electrified flagship of the lineup, when the Eclipse Cross PHEV was always an option.

Yes, at one point, there was discussion about making the Eclipse Cross PHEV. There was also talk about the Engelberg Tourer concept replacing the Outlander PHEV, and neither has happened. This only surprises us because this year, the Eclipse Cross seems to winning in sales. In fact, it’s only the first quarter of 2024, and the 2024 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross has already more than doubled its Q1 2023 sales number. Selling a total of 3463 units, compared to the 1522 of the Outlander PHEV, we really question why the crossover isn’t given the chance to shine.

Mitsubishi Motors is getting a whole lot more interesting these days, and more to come after the announcement of a new crossover coming to the lineup thanks to the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance Ampere facility, so most likely an electric crossover or another plug-in model. You can follow along with us on Miami Lakes Automall social media. You can also find a new Mitsubishi Outlander at Miami Lakes Automall or grab a new Mitsubishi Mirage before they’re all sold out.

Photo Source/Copyright: Mitsubishi Motors