Mitsubishi Gives Up on I-MiEV in the States, Will Build Any Crossover You Like

Mitsubishi’s sedan offering in the United States may very likely begin and end with its Mirage ( which Mark says they didn’t ruin for 2017) as the company builds more and more crossovers to sell.

“We are strong in SUVs and four-wheel drives. And that is what we would like to focus on as core models in the U.S. market. We have changed direction,” CEO Osamu Masuko told Automotive News. “We are going to allocate more resources to the areas where we are strong in the U.S.”

Mitsubishi will announce a mid-sized crossover to fit between its Outlander and Outlander Sport, which are both due for a redesign in 2017 and 2019 respectively. The automaker is also betting big on electrification: all of its crossovers will either offer a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or all-electric version.

With a very abbreviated car lineup — reportedly there’ll be a sedan version of the Mirage coming next year, and that’s it — and three crossovers, it’s unclear what the future may hold for its Lancer or Evolution nameplates.

Masuko told Automotive News that the automaker’s plans for any sedan — whether compact or Galant-sized — are on hold because Mitsubishi doesn’t have very deep pockets at the moment. A rumored relationship between Mitsubishi and Renault fell through earlier this year to provide the Japanese automaker a mid-sized platform.

According to the report, Mitsubishi will develop a minicar for Japan that will be gasoline-powered, and the automaker has no plans to make an EV-only model again — presumably because you can buy a new, two-year-old i-MiEV for a song at a Mitsubishi dealer.

In April, Mitsubishi bosses hinted that the next Evo would be heavy on the “EV” — and could be a crossover, but nothing is on the books, yet.

This summer, Mitsubishi said it would close its Normal, Illinois plant, which built the Outlander Sport, because of slowing sales and rising labor costs. No buyer for the plant has been announced.