Why Doesn’t Mitsubishi Make Sports Cars? what does Mitsubishi make besides cars?
If you are a fan of Mitsubishi’s past performance cars, you might be wondering why the company doesn’t make any sports cars anymore.
After all, Mitsubishi has a rich history of producing exciting vehicles such as the Lancer Evolution, the Eclipse, the 3000GT, and the Starion.
These cars were not only fun to drive, but also successful in motorsports, especially rallying. So what happened to Mitsubishi’s sports car division?
The answer is not simple, but it has to do with several factors that have affected Mitsubishi’s business strategy over the years.
Here are some of the main reasons why Mitsubishi stopped making sports cars:
Ownership changes
Mitsubishi Motors has gone through several ownership changes in its history, which have influenced its product development and marketing direction.
In 1999, Mitsubishi formed an alliance with DaimlerChrysler, which gave the German-American company a 34 percent stake in Mitsubishi.
However, this partnership did not work out well, as DaimlerChrysler accused Mitsubishi of hiding financial losses and withdrew its support in 2004.
Mitsubishi then faced a severe crisis and had to sell some of its assets and cut costs. In 2016, Nissan acquired a 34 percent stake in Mitsubishi and made it part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.
This gave Mitsubishi access to new technologies and platforms but also limited its autonomy and creativity.
Market trends
Another reason why Mitsubishi stopped making sports cars is that the market demand for such vehicles has declined over the years. Consumers have shifted their preferences to more practical and versatile vehicles, such as SUVs, crossovers, and hybrids.
These segments offer higher profit margins and lower emissions than sports cars, which are more expensive to produce and maintain.
Mitsubishi has followed this trend and focused on developing SUVs and crossovers with four-wheel drive and alternative fuel technologies, such as the Outlander PHEV and the Eclipse Cross.
According to Rob Lindley, managing director of Mitsubishi UK, “Mitsubishi’s focus is now SUVs, crossover, four-wheel drive, along with alternative fuel technology”.
Economic viability
A related reason why Mitsubishi stopped making sports cars is that it is not economically viable for a small company like Mitsubishi to compete in this segment.
As Lindley explained, “As a business that sells 1.2 million cars worldwide, in a global sense, it’s not a big business.
If you try and be in all the different segments of the market and follow trends, like sports cars, it would be difficult to be economically viable” .
Sports cars require a lot of investment in research and development, design, engineering, testing, and marketing.
They also face stiff competition from bigger and more established brands, such as Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Subaru, Mazda, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Ferrari. Mitsubishi does not have the resources or the reputation to challenge these rivals in the sports car market.
Brand identity
The final reason why Mitsubishi stopped making sports cars is that it does not fit with its current brand identity. Mitsubishi has been trying to find a clear and consistent positioning for its products and image in the global market.
It has moved away from its previous associations with performance vehicles and motorsports and embraced a more mainstream and eco-friendly approach.
It has also leveraged its heritage with four-wheel drive capability and off-road adventure. Making sports cars would contradict this strategy and confuse consumers about what Mitsubishi stands for.
In conclusion
Mitsubishi stopped making sports cars for a variety of reasons that have to do with ownership changes, market trends, economic viability, and brand identity.
While some fans might miss the glory days of the Lancer Evo or the 3000GT, it is unlikely that Mitsubishi will revive its sports car division anytime soon.
Instead, it will focus on SUVs and crossovers with four-wheel drive and alternative fuel technologies.
what does Mitsubishi make besides cars?
Mitsubishi is a well-known Japanese company that makes cars, but it also has many other businesses and products.
Besides cars, Mitsubishi makes aircraft, ships, trains, elevators, escalators, air conditioners, solar panels, robots, and even pepper mills.
Mitsubishi is a group of autonomous companies that share the same brand and trademark, but operate independently in different industries.
Some of the main companies in the group are MUFG Bank, the largest bank in Japan, Mitsubishi Corporation, a general trading company, Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, both diversified manufacturing companies.
Mitsubishi has a long history that dates back to 1870 when it was founded by Yatarō Iwasaki as a shipping firm.
Since then, it has diversified into related fields and expanded its global presence.
Mitsubishi has also been working on electric vehicles since 1970, partly because of its varied interests in electronics.
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