Mitsubishi Likes The Idea Of Selling A New Pickup In The U.S.

Mitsubishi has expressed curiosity in launching a pickup truck in the USA, though there don’t seem like any imminent plans for such a transfer.

Given how large the pickup truck market is in the USA, it solely is sensible that the Japanese automaker likes the concept of capturing a part of that pie. It has loads of experience by means of the sale of the Triton / L200 in abroad markets. Whereas the Hen Tax would cease Mitsubishi from merely importing the Triton within the U.S., that doesn’t imply the concept of promoting a pickup regionally is lifeless within the water.

In truth, throughout a latest interview with The Drive, Mitsubishi’s director for product planning in North America, Cason Grover, acknowledged such a transfer is feasible.

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“It’s one other a type of issues we need to attempt to determine,” he stated. “We’d love to have the ability to do it. It’s an space we’re actually occupied with as a result of now we have plenty of world success. We have now historical past within the U.S. as properly.”

“On the finish of the day, we don’t have U.S. manufacturing proper now, and essentially the Hen Tax is [an obstacle to importing pickup trucks],” he added. “You may’t simply wedge that [global Triton] into any individual else’s plant over [here]. So something we might do – and that is simply hypothetical – we’d possible must go to an alliance companion that does construct [one].”

Luckily for Mitsubishi, its alliance companion Nissan at present builds the Frontier in Mississippi. Whereas Mitsubishi may faucet Nissan on the shoulder to construct a rebodied variant of the Frontier, Grover famous that the market opened up by the brand new Ford Maverick is intriguing.

“The [Ford] Ranger, the previous Ranger, that was a lot smaller, had a lot quantity and was round so lengthy,” he acknowledged. “The Maverick actually virtually [does] what the Ranger used to do, being inexpensive.”

Whereas the considered a brand new pickup truck coming into the U.S. market will excite fanatics, Grover warned that there are not any speedy plans for such a mannequin.

“It’s a no-future-plan-to-announce [situation], however we actually… we seen, put it that method. And we’ve obtained historical past.”