- It sensationally pulled out of the UK market in 2020 but still has dealerships
A Japanese brand loved by Britons that pulled out of the UK in 2020 could be on the verge of a shock comeback, according to its European boss.
Mitsubishi – the car maker that produced the likes of the Colt, L200 pick-uk truck, rally-bred Lancer Evos, Shogun 4X4s and market-leading Outlander Plug-in Hybrid SUV – has revealed its intention to return to the UK having quit Europe half a decade ago as part of a massive cost-saving exercise.
The 2020 announcement spelled the end of a 46-year history selling cars in Britain, with the first UK-spec Mitsubishi model – the Colt Lancer – debuting in 1974.
However, Mitsubishi returned to some European markets last year as part of a new strategy that was agreed as part of its alliance with Renault and Nissan.
It now sells rebranded versions of Renault’s Clio supermini and Captur crossover, renamed Colt and ASX, which are produced at the French company’s factories in its homeland, and has also relaunched its latest Outlander PHEV.
In an interview with Autocar, Frank Krol, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Europe, said the aim is now to return to the UK market too.
Mitsubishi’s 2020 announced departure from the UK came amid huge headwinds created by the Covid pandemic, which triggered a collapse in sales and the company’s retreat from Europe.
But Krol says the ‘potential and size’ of the UK market is too much to ignore, telling Autocar that it has a ‘preferred route to go back’.
The President and CEO of Mitsubishi’s European operations suggested that it could arrive with more than just the rebadged Colt and ASX, saying the firm needs to have the ‘right product line-up’ in place for a return to the UK.
This could include the Outlander PHEV, which for years in the 2010s topped the UK’s hybrid sales charts and became a firm favourite among company car drivers due to its huge tax-saving benefits.
Back in 2015, Boris Johnson, then London Major, famously launched the facelifted Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV in Tokyo during a trade tour of Japan.
Driving it in its electric only mode, he described it as ‘whining like a self-satisfied cat’.
‘I think it’s poetry and smooth as anything. It’s going to be a smash hit,’ the soon-to-become PM waxed lyrically during a test drive in the Japanese capital.
While the company confirmed its departure in 2020, it wasn’t until the following autumn that its showrooms sold the last model in Britain.
It formerly withdrew – including the closure of its head office – from the UK on 30 September 2021.
Despite its four-year spell away, the brand is still very much recognised, having generated a relatively strong fan base after almost five decades selling cars in Britain.
It also still retains around 100 dealerships across the country, which have become service and after-sale centres for existing customers. Though some did close following the 2020 announcement.
When asked if its hiatus was a concern regarding making a comeback, Krol told Autocar: ‘It is not preferred to have extremely a long period without any sales presence.
‘That’s something we would need to consider.’
Other Mitsubishi models that be sold in the UK include the Grandis – a rebadged Renault Symbioz – and the Eclipse Cross, which will be an electric SUV underpinned by the same platform used for Renault’s Scenic and Nissan’s Ariya EVs.
While Krol spoke with optimism about bringing Mitsubishi back to the UK, no hard and fast deadline is set for its comeback.
If it is to use the new Outlander to spearhead its return, that car is due a refresh some time around 2027, which could be when the brand returns.
