CARVERSAL

Everyone wants  Mitsubishi's India Re-entry as Mitsubishi had a great brand in the Indian automotive space but sadly due to bad cooperation with Hindustan Motors and a bad product mix, they had to leave the Indian Market in 2020. But Now Mitsubishi can make its way back to the Indian shores by acquiring a big stake in an Indian Car dealership chain ‘TVS Mobility’ to help it better run its Indian business (than what Hindustan Motors did).

 

 

Mitsubishi Motors History in India

Mitsubishi first came to Indian shores way back in 1998 by collaborating with Hindustan Motors and launching their Lancer for ₹ 8.17 Lakhs to attract Honda and Toyota buyers in a sedan that offers much sportier and more luxurious appeal.

The Lancer did not make much strides in India so Hindustan Motors thought why not bring the 1992 Mitsubishi Pajero to India as many elite class Indians were hopping on to big SUVs and this could be a great product to fit all their needs. So in 2002, Hindustan Motors launched the Mitsubishi Pajero in India for ₹ 33 Lakhs Ex-showroom India (which is insane as an M-class used to cost around ₹ 39 Lakhs in 2002).

 

Obviously, People did not buy the Pajero in huge numbers due to the high price so Hindustan Motors invested ₹ 12 crores for a local assembly plant in India and relaunched the Pajero as a CKD (completely knocked down unit) at a Starting price of ₹ 19.9 Lakhs Ex-showroom India and made it accessible for a large sum of people.

 

In the coming years, Mitsubishi Launched their Cedia, Montero in India but no one cared so in 2012 the brand launched its Pajero Sport for ₹ 23 lakhs to directly rival the Toyota Fortuner. The Pajero sport offered a beasty monster look which appealed to a lot of Indians and enabled the Pajero to sell in some real numbers.

But with time, the charm of Mitsubishi kept fading away in India as neither they launched any new vehicles, nor made any upgrades to the existing ones, so finally in 2020 they shut their shop completely in India.

Mitsubishi Buys TVS Mobility

 

Recently Mitsubishi had updated the Japanese stock exchanges (where it is listed) about acquiring a 30% stake in the Indian dealership chain TVS Mobility at a price of somewhere between ₹ 300 to 500 crores.

 

TVS Mobility is a chain of multi-brand dealerships that majorly operate in South India and operate in dealerships of Honda, Mahindra, and Ashok Leyland and has over $1 billion in revenue. Mitsubishi has acquired a 30% stake in this business to do the following things –

-         -  Hive off the Car dealership Business into a separate entity and operate it independently

-          - Will make an online app for customers and dealerships to make the car buying experience more seamless.

-         -  Promote more Japanese brands to open dealerships in India through TVS Mobility and collect industry data through their transactions.

So this can mean a pretty high chance of Mitsubishi Making a Comeback to India in 2024 with a potential 4 SUV launch –

 

2024 Mitsubishi Xpander India –

The 2024 Mitsubishi Xpander for India is a 7-seater SUV/MPV mix from Mitsubishi aimed at the Suzuki Ertiga but with much better build and features. At the front, you get a dual split light system with a thin LED running at the top and a hammer-shaped lower wide-beam and high-beam housing, all connected by a fat chrome line.

At the side are big 17-inch dual-tone wheels with sharp windows and roof lines to give a more advanced and SUV-ish look. At the back, you get long boomerang-shaped lights with body-colored bumpers and skid plates.

On the inside Mitsubishi has upgraded the interior with the 2024 Facelift where the dashboard has a decent-sized screen and semi-digital instrument cluster, and a glossy center console with electric parking brake.

This Mitsubishi Xpander 2024 is expected to be priced at around ₹ 15 lakhs Ex-showroom in India making it a direct rival to the XL6.

 

 

2024 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross India –

 

The Eclipse Cross is a hybrid Creta rival from Mitsubishi with big chrome lines at the front some questionable bits at the back and decent looks at the side. Mitsubishi offers a 1.5l turbo hybrid option with the Eclipse Cross which churns up to 150hp but the fate of this SUV depends on how well Mitsubishi can price it in India as in the US it is priced around ₹ 20 Lakhs so for the Indian launch prices has the be cut to give some real competition to Creta and Seltos in India.

 

2024 Mitsubishi Outlander India

The Outlander is a big 7-seater SUV from Mitsubishi majorly sold in the US and known for its high fuel efficiency and reliability. The SUV offers a macho upright stance at the front with dual split lights connected with a big fat chrome line. At the side, you get a straight body line with big 20-inch alloys and thin horizontal taillights at the back giving it an American SUV appeal.

 

On the Inside, Mitsubishi has upped the game with high-quality soft-touch materials, a big center console with an electric gear lever, and a rotatory mode selector.

 

In terms of Powertrain Mitsubishi offers a 2.4l hybrid powerplant capable of giving more than 20kmpl average making it a direct rival to the Innova Hycross and should be priced around ₹ 30 Lakhs Ex-showroom India.

 

2024 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport India –

The Pajero is by far the most famous Mitsubishi to have ever launched and India loved its previous generation which launched in 2012. But since then Mitsubishi has upped the game and revamped the Pajero sport with sharp front looks, thin LED lights, and a big front stance (much better than the Fortuner Legender).

At the side, you get super sharp 18-inch alloys, and thin window lines which give it sharper appeal, and at the back are huge vertical LED Lights with upward-edged roof spoiler.

 

On the inside of the Pajero Sport, the interiors are pretty simple with a small LED screen, a semi-digital instrument cluster, and a simple small sunroof (at least better than the Fortuner).

 

Mitsubishi offers the Pajero with a 2.4l turbo diesel engine producing 180hp with a super select 4x4 system to give you the Japanese off-roading capabilities, all expected to be priced around ₹ 45 Lakhs Ex-showroom India.