Mitsubishi tries to reinvent itself with its SUV debut on Amazon

by



[ad_1]

Mitsubishi’s email invitation to the Outlander’s debut featured a photo of an oversized Amazon shipping box sitting in an aisle. The automaker has not announced any further plans to collaborate with Amazon to market the Outlander or any of its other models.

As part of a larger effort to revamp its lineup, Mitsubishi introduced an all-new version, one of its most popular models in the United States. The new Outlander is slightly taller than before and has new grille, headlight and taillight designs that underline the extra width of the SUV.

With traditional auto shows and other live events canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, automakers have been looking for ways to make a splash when they unveil their latest products. Several car manufacturers, including Ford (F), introduced cars to Facebook. Honda (HMC) unveiled its redesigned Civic on Twitch, a social media platform for gamers.

Mitsubishi once had a strong performance-based brand identity and enthusiast base, but that was a long time ago, said Akshay Anand, auto industry analyst at Kelley Blue Book.

“The Mitsubishi of 2021 is not the Mitsubishi of 1995, so they were a little further behind the brand,” Anand said.

Teaming up with Amazon, he said, could help bring needed attention to an important unveiling for the brand.

Mitsubishi spokesman Jeremy Barnes said the new Outlander and other redesigned and improved models prove the brand is recovering.

“We will have one of the most refreshed lineups in the entire industry in the next few months,” he said.

Since 2016, Mitsubishi has been part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, a consortium in which each of the three manufacturers has a stake in others. Companies cooperate to design new models. The Outlander 2022 is the first Mitsubishi model designed and manufactured in cooperation with the alliance.

The Mitsubishi Outlander 2022 is offered with optional two-tone interiors.

The new SUV, which has three rows of seats, is wider and more spacious than the current Outlander SUV. Interior trim options will include two-tone leather treatments and diamond stitched leather patterns. The Outlander is equipped with a 2.5-liter gasoline engine and a continuously variable automatic transmission designed to act as an eight-speed transmission under certain conditions.

The Outlander will be available in front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions.

The new SUV will also come with a suite of driver assist technologies, including active lane keeping assist, traffic sign recognition, which can read speed limit signs and display them in the vehicle, and Trailer Stability Assist which helps maintain vehicle control when towing. a trailer.

The 2022 Outlander goes on sale in April, with prices starting at around $ 26,000.

[ad_2]

Source link