Mitsubishi has been the fastest-growing brand in the UK for the past three years now, largely thanks to the success of the Outlander PHEV and new L200 pick-up.
Not content to sit back and enjoy this success, we caught up with Mitsubishi UK Managing Director, Lance Bradley, at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, who outlined some ambitious targets for the next five years.
“We are already known for making tough, reliable SUVs,” claims Bradley, “but there’s more work to do, Europe is one of the most demanding sectors when it comes to interior quality, our new products should help lift the brand even further.”
Known for producing tough and reliable SUVs, Mitsubishi is keen to improve its brand perception and interior quality moving forward. There’s a new designer on board and if the concepts on the stand at this year’s show are anything to go by, desirability will be taking a big leap forwards in the cars to come.
The ASX Geoseek concept (pictured above) was unveiled at Geneva bringing style and off-road capability together.
The firm’s five-year plan includes growing sales to 45,000 a year, achieved by a new five-model SUV line-up including a compact SUV to rival the Nissan Juke, a mid-sized SUV to replace the ASX, the next-generation Outlander, a new Shogun and a seven-seat version of the Shogun.
Plug-in hybrid technology will play a big part moving forwards and will be available in larger SUVs, while full EV tech will showcase in the smaller cars in the range.
The Mitsubishi EX concept at Geneva highlights the brand’s vision for a compact SUV powered by EV tech.
Does the Mirage still have a place in the Mitsubishi line-up?
According to Bradley, the Mirage has a very loyal customer base and although it sells in relatively small numbers (1,500 in 2015), there’s still a place for it in the line-up and will be available for the foreseeable future.
As more focus is placed on electric and hybrid powertrains moving forwards, we’re expecting the Mirage to become an all-electric car at some point too.
Mitsubishi will not be steering too far away from petrol and diesel for the time being though, as both are still the fuel of choice here in the UK.
“Petrol and diesel will still have a place in our cars while people are reluctant to uptake plug-in technology,” explains Bradley.
