According to its own recent market reports, Mitsubishi is gunning its engines and expanding market share in America, with sales figures that seem to have increased nearly 20% over last year’s figures. This means thirteen months of continual sales growth for the company, which, according to Mitsubishi executives, puts the company ahead of domestic U.S. auto makers in terms of growth. Citing a year-to-date sales volume of 65,875, Mitsubishi estimates the company is enjoying an almost 60% increase in YTD sales as of September.
In talking about what could be drawing more consumers to Mitsubishi, the company’s CEO, Yoichi Yokozawa contributed to an October 3 press release where the exec cited the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, a modern crossover that Mitsubishi promotes as “utility with abundance,” as a major reason for bulked-up sales and attention from SUV customers. This stylish, modern SUV has a distinctly compact design, and starts at under $19,000, with a 2 liter, 143 hp engine block and standard features like a color dash display, a full range of airbags, and active stability control with hill start assist. Advanced trim models can get customers much more new Mitsubishi technology like a “One-touch Start/Stop” or OSS engine switch, fancy HID headlamps, and interior leather, along with split folding seats and modern audio.
Another big driver of Mitsubishi sales is the all-electric Mitsubishi i, a car that the company is promoting this week with a test drive tour so that American customers can see for themselves how a modern vehicle without a gas-burning engine can get them around in style. We’ve previously reported on how these modern vehicles are likely to capture the attention of customers looking for sporty designs with higher mpg, but we’re also not counting out the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, a powerful sedan promising new future fuel economy designs; the Lancer Evo got attention from Popular Mechanics magazine and other venues as news leaked out about upcoming models for 2012. Check out the array of cars available from this dark horse auto maker and find the best factory-direct deals to get more style into your garage at a lower price.
