Mitsubishi Pajero was quite the SUV at a time in India but with changed times and intense competition Mitsubishi had to discontinue it because of dismal sales.
Now, Mitsubishi is all set to get more aggressive with their SUVs in the market with the sedans Lancer and Cedia facing the axe; and the former has already been put out of production. This makes us realize that the Mirage hatchback and the Compact Sedan it was going to spawn, will also not be brought into India which were believed to be a life saviors for Mitsubishi and a potential fortune turn-around materials.
Lancer, once the pride of people in the Northern states does not sell anymore and the people who own it refuse to sell it because of the sheer reliability and ability to handle abuse its engine possesses. Cedia has a peppy petrol hungry engine but it lost out to its rivals when it came to the gadgets and newness . Cedia is one of the most preferred vehicles for rallies.
According to the industry sources, the company believes that with limited resources and dealership network, it is easier to tackle the SUV market as there are higher profits and its a niche segment. Bringing in volume products would require operations on a larger scale and Mitsubishi is not up for that.
“The company will focus on SUVs, which constitute our strength, for the next few years. Pajero Sport has been especially accepted very well worldwide. Once we establish a strong foundation through SUVs, we will move on to other segments such as sedans and compact cars” a Hindustan Motors spokesperson told the Financial Express.
Cedia sold 69 units compared to the other petrol executive sedans Honda Civic’s 469 units and the bestseller Toyota Corolla’s 3,697 units. Mitsubishi also sells the Lancer Evolution X which is brought into the country as a CBU on order and 12 units were sold of the luxury car.
SUV range seems to be doing a bit better. When we say SUV range, we just mean the Pajero Sport. It has been posing tough competition to the Fortuner and has become a better deal since it started getting assembled in India. Pajero and Outlander together sold 998 units in the period of April-October compared to Fortuner’s 9202 units but Pajero’s sales will go up as the localisation increases and prices comes down.
Now, this news sure comes as a saddener for most of us. Not that the focus for SUVs is anything bad, but we expected many good volume cars from this Japanese manufacturer. It looks like the company just wants to keep India in the list of “We are present in” countries.
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Source: Financial Express
Richie Rich
