Mitsubishi ASX, Outlander redesigns delayed to due to merger with Nissan – report
The next-generation Mitsubishi ASX and Mitsubishi Outlander crossovers have reportedly been delayed due to the automaker’s purchase by and integration with Nissan.
Supplier sources have told Automotive News that the timeline for Mitsubishi’s two key crossovers has been pushed back as the company attempts to find component sharing synergies with Nissan.
The new ASX will now reportedly share a platform and parts with the Nissan Qashqai, while the larger Outlander will be based on the Nissan X-Trail.
According to the industry publication, the next-generation Outlander was due to be launched during the Japanese financial year ending March 31, 2019, with the ASX coming out in the subsequent financial year.
The suppliers now say that the Outlander will debut in late 2019 or early 2020, with the ASX delayed until after 2020.
Should this report turn out to be true, then the recently unveiled Eclipse Sport could be the last ever Mitsubishi developed completely in-house, with word coming out of Japan that the next-generation Nissan Patrol and Mitsubishi Pajero will become platform mates.
Similarly the next-generation Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton should also feature common underpinnings.
If these suppliers are correct, it seems as though Nissan is looking to quickly integrate Mitsubishi Motors into its product development cycle.
Nissan took a controlling 33 per cent stake in Mitsubishi Motors in October 2016, after it was revealed that Mitsubishi had been fudging its domestic market fuel economy figures since 1991.
At the time of the purchase, Carlos Ghosn, head of Renault-Nissan Alliance, estimated that the Nissan’s takeover of Mitsubishi would realise 24 billion yen ($275 million) of savings during the 2017 Japanese financial year, and around 60 billion yen ($690 million) from 2018 onwards.
Late last month, Ghosn stepped down as co-CEO of Nissan to focus his energies on turning around Mitsubishi. Ghosn retained his role as chairman of Nissan, and head of the Renault-Nissan Alliance.
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