Mitsubishi Motors released its fourth-quarter and full-year results this week, with year-over-year increases in sales and production. Despite industry-wide supply constraints imposing limitations, the company saw increases in its markets in Asia, Europe and North America.
In Japan’s domestic market, Mitsubishi car and truck production rose 172 percent year-on-year in December to 44,091, totaling 440,762 units for 2022. year. In total, Mitsubishi produced 1,012,408 vehicles in Japan, Thailand, China and Indonesia.
Likewise, the number of exports increased, with Japan exporting 23,538 units in December, for a total of 222,242 for the year. Exports to the rest of the world totaled 14,577 for December and 133,729 for the year as a whole.
Mitsubishi Motors did not provide a breakdown of vehicle sales by model in its report. However, in the United States, the Outlander remained the company’s top seller, with 40,942 units sold through 2022, the best year in nameplate history. The 2023 Outlander PHEV hit dealerships in late November, accounting for 20% of Outlander sales for the rest of the year. Overall, Outlander sales were up 37.5% in the fourth quarter compared to the same period a year ago.
There were other significant bright spots for Mitsubishi in the United States, despite ongoing vehicle and parts supply challenges, a changing economy and harsh weather conditions across the country. In addition to the Outlander, Eclipse Cross sales were up 9.8% from 2021. Most notably, retail sales increased while fleet sales declined.
Mitsubishi continues to revamp its lineup for 2023 and beyond. Last fall, it reintroduced its special-edition Ralliart nameplate on key models. The company also tested its new L200 midsize truck on US soil, which may return as the renamed Ram Dakota at some point in the future. Then there were renderings of a new Eclipse sports car, which could imply that Mitsubishi is planning to resurrect the car, which was popular in the 1990s and early 2000s.
