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Mitsubishi:: Lancer future looks bright with platform-sharing plans

Mitsubishi Australia is confident that its parent company's merger into the Nissan-Renault fold will bring a major local boost to its flailing passenger car ranges with leaner, meaner new product in the medium- to long-term future.


Speaking to CarAdvice this week, MMAL representatives explained the new tie-up is skewed toward developing a stronger portfolio moving forward, adding weight to speculation earlier this week that Mitsubishi’s new-generation passenger cars, such as the Lancer, could adopt Nissan-Renault’s modular CFM architecture.

“Platform sharing will bring major cost savings,” is one of the major lynchpins in the alliance deal says MMAL Executive Director of Marketing, Tony Principe, and in doing so all but confirming that future Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi will be built with a fair degree of common DNA.

A second key area of synergy will be “technology sharing,” where a “quicker and more cost-effective introduction of new technologies” will boost the competitiveness of future model lines.

With resource sharing and an economy of scale MMAL claims is set to encompass “10 million vehicles”, its small-car prospects with a new-generation Lancer, to name one flailing model line, looks bright indeed.

Other areas of Mitsubishi’s local business look set to prosper under the newly broadened corporate umbrella.

“The sharing of various business areas, such as parts and accessories, servicing, finance, et cetera, will add further to the overall proposition,” Principe says.

MMAL says that the overriding theme throughout the alliance strategy is to produce “higher quality, lower cost product” in a situation where “new technologies (are) able to be introduced more quickly” in a cost-effective manner.

The company maintains that it's had solid profitability over the past four years, crediting record sales for ASX, Outlander ad Pajero Sport SUVs and a strong performance of Triton propping up less-than-mediocre volumes of Lancer and Mirage.

In the year to September 2016, Mitsubishi's combined SUV/LCV sales are up 11.9 percent, while SUV sales alone represent a whopping 34.1 percent growth.

Revitalised passenger car ranges will be key in Mitsubishi solidifying a well-rounded model portfolio.

"Our product focus on SUVs and LCVs put us in good shape to continue to deliver consistent volume and profitability (and) moving into the Nissan-Renault Alliance will further enhance our position moving forward," concluded Principe.

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