Mitsubishi, Renault-Nissan car sharing plan falters – report

In November 2013 Mitsubishi Motors and the Renault-Nissan Alliance announced a deal that would result in two new Mitsubishi sedans based on Renault-Nissan architectures.

The first car resulting from this partnership was to be a D-segment sedan to replace the already retired Mitsubishi Galant, which served as the basis for short-lived Australian-made 380. The Galant replacement was to be built in Korea by Renault Samsung Motors, and sold primarily in the US and Canada.

(The facelifted Renault Samsung SM5 Nova, based on the Renault Latitude, is pictured above.)

Up next, according to the plan, was a C-segment sedan that would effectively serve as the next-generation Lancer in many parts of the world.

Don Swearingen, an executive vice president of Mitsubishi Motors North America, told a dealers' conference in San Francisco over the weekend that the model sharing plan had stalled.

Speaking to Automotive News, Swearingen said: "I told them that the plan has stalled. And I said that’s really all I can tell you at this time".

It's unclear whether the impasse is temporary or permanent, or whether the hitch affects both the Galant and Lancer replacement vehicles or just one.

In Japan, Mitsubishi and Nissan run a joint venture that develops small kei cars for both companies, including the Nissan Dayz and the Mitsubishi eK.

Nissan also supplies Mitsubishi with various larger vehicles to flesh out the diamond brand's domestic model lineup. Rebadged vehicles include the Infiniti Q70 as the Mitsubishi Proudia and Dignity, Nissan NV200 as the Mitsubishi Delica D:3, and the Nissan Wingroad as the Mitsubishi Lancer Cargo.