Mitsubishi Motors continues to make inroads in the most demanding of all global automobile markets.
In a decreasing European market (- 1.6%)**, Mitsubishi Motors Europe (MME) sales have grown by 7% between January and September 2019 to 134,886 vehicles in the region, with the growth being driven by two low emission vehicles, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and the Mitsubishi Mirage (42.5% of the total – combined volume):
- Mirage: 30,373 sales (+ 12%)
- Outlander PHEV: 26,934 sales (+ 78%)
- ASX (previous): 24,585 sales (- 7%)
- Eclipse Cross: 22,126 sales (+ 8%)
- L200 (previous): 18,450 sales (+ 12%)
The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV remains Europe’s best selling plug-in hybrid vehicle over the first 9 months of CY19. Since the vehicle’s launch in October 2013, it has reached a cumulated total of 151,735 sales in Europe, with nearly 50,000 of these being registered in the UK.
Over the period, Mitsubishi Motors’ 32 European Distributors supported the Brand’s ambitions with the top ten distributers as follows:
- Germany: 41,930 sales (+ 3%)
- The UK: 22,625 sales (- 6%)
- Spain: 11,969 sales (+ 20%)
- Italy: 7,342 sales (+ 51%)
- France: 7,068 sales (+ 40%)
- The Netherlands: 5,710 sales (- 3%)
- Sweden: 4,881 sales (+ 31%)
- Poland: 4,864 sales (+ 21%)
- Austria: 4,286 sales (- 13%)
- Norway: 4,200 sales (+ 15%)
While pleased with these nine months results, Mitsubishi Motors Europe (MME) also remains acutely aware of a challenging business environment, as stated by Bernard Loire, MME’s President & CEO: “Today, Mitsubishi Motors enjoys a unique position in the European market with its blend of SUVs & Plug-in Hybrid technology, its enviable reputation for quality and for engineering, as well as its foresight regarding emission regulations. Together with MMC, with our European Distributors and with our MME Team, we will certainly develop these assets.”
He added: “However, we are also aware of coming headwinds – external factors the whole auto industry is now facing, from a highly volatile currency market to uncertain political and trade issues.
He concluded: “This is a further reason for pursuing a strategy of sustainable growth in Europe where the development of our Brand image will take precedence over the race for volume, to be further developed with a string of new products, starting with the new ASX and the new L200 which are just being launched across Europe.”
** ACEA data: European Union sales – nine months CY19
SOURCE: Mitsubishi Motors
