Mitsubishi Motors reports fourth-quarter and annual results this week, with improved year-over-year sales and production. Despite the fact that industry-wide supply constraints imposed limits, the company saw improvements across its markets in Asia, Europe and North America.
In Japan’s home market, Mitsubishi car and truck production increased 172 percent year-on-year in December to 44,091, for a total of 440,762 units for 2022. Overseas production increased to 42,718, up 67.7 for December, and totaling 571,646 for year. Overall, Mitsubishi produced 1,012,408 vehicles in Japan, Thailand, China and Indonesia.
Likewise, export figures rose, with Japan exporting 23,538 units in December, for a total of 222,242 for the year. Exports for the rest of the world totaled 14,577 for December and 133,729 for the full year.
Mitsubishi Motors does not provide a breakdown of vehicle sales by model in its report. However, in the US, the Outlander remains the company’s top seller, with 40,942 units sold through 2022, the single best year in the history of the nameplate. The 2023 Outlander PHEV arrives in dealerships in late November, accounting for 20 percent of Outlander sales for the rest of the year. Overall, Outlander sales increased 37.5 percent in the fourth quarter compared to the same period last year.
There was another significant bright spot for Mitsubishi in the US, despite continued challenges with the supply of vehicles and parts, the changing economy and bad weather across the country. Excluding Outlander, Eclipse Cross sales increased by 9.8 percent during 2021. Notably, retail-only sales increased while fleet sales decreased.
Mitsubishi continues to tweak its lineup for 2023 and beyond. Last fall, it reintroduced the Ralliart nameplate as a special edition package on the lock model. The company is also testing its new L200 medium truck on US soil, which could return as the rebranded Ram Dakota in the future. Then there are renderings of the new Eclipse sports car, which could imply Mitsubishi is considering bringing the car back to life that was popular in the 1990s and early 2000s.
