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Mitsubishi leaving US? No, it's doubling its marketing budget

We rarely hear any major news coming out of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) annual meeting in Orlando, FL, but Mitsubishi executives found this a fitting place to announce a big push for increased advertising here in the US. A report in Automotive News states that the struggling Japanese automaker is returning to advertising in prime time television for the first time since 2005, with the push slated to begin in June and July for the launch of the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander shown above.
Despite dwindling sales and a shrinking lineup, Mitsubishi's new North American chairman, Gayu Uesugi, has said on multiple occasions that the automaker has no plans to abandon the US market. Spending extra money on marketing and advertising should be a good start to help improve sales, but a lack of fresh and competitive products is also keeping showrooms empty. Aside from the new Outlander, the AN report says that Mitsubishi spokesman Roger Yasukawa said that a "yet-to-be-named subcompact" will arrive this year, which suggests the unnamed hatchback shown below (known elsewhere as the Mirage), could be heading to the US after its North American introduction at the Montreal Auto Show last month.

2019 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Quick Spin Review | Space and power make it worth your consideration

The subcompact crossover market is one of the fastest growing segments in the industry. That can make it tough to stand out. Some highlight style, like with the Hyundai Kona and Jeep Renegade. Some go for a bargain focus such as with the Nissan Kicks. Our subject in this case, the 2019 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, earns a look for its remarkable space, strong powertrain and generally good value. The Eclipse Cross's spaciousness is its ultimate party trick, especially for its small size. From the driver's seat, your 5-foot 11-inch and somewhat heavy author could find a very comfortable driving position with loads of head room and leg room. The seating position is high with loads of visibility. The generous headroom also keeps you from feeling like you're sitting on top of the car. The front seats don't have much shape to them, but the cushions are thick and soft enough that they're plenty comfortable. I was also surprised at how easy it was to get in and out of the Eclipse Cross. The door opening is quite large, thanks to a high roof and reasonably low floor, plus the relatively high seat. This kind of easy ingress and egress I don't see often except for in minivans such as our long-term Chrysler Pacifica. More impressive than the space in the front is the space in the back. I could sit behind myself with a few inches to spare in front of my knees. I can't even say that about many comparably-sized cars let alone the current crop of cramped crossovers. The back seats are flat and firmer than I would like, but they do recline and can slide fore and aft to make more room for cargo or passengers. All of this fits into a package that's about 5 inches shorter than a Honda Civic hatchback, one of the most spacious small cars on the market. Cargo space is close to the Civic, too. With the seats up, it's slightly behind the Honda at 22.6 cubic feet (22.1 for our SEL with the subwoofer and moonroof) versus 25.7. But with the 60/40 split seats folded, the Eclipse Cross jumps ahead with 48.9 cubic feet versus the Civic's 46.2. The rest of the interior is less impressive. The plastics, while varied in texture and finish, are cheap and hard. The infotainment offers two ways to interact with it, either with the touchscreen or a touch pad, but neither is great. The touchscreen is far away, and the touch buttons on either side are annoying, and the touch pad is only slightly better than the terrible Lexus touch pad interface.

Mitsubishi off-road Delica van, outdoorsy Outlander variant planned for US market

If you haven't been paying attention, you may be surprised to hear that Mitsubishi has been doing fairly well in the United States over the last several years. Once a mid-major (to borrow a college athletics term) program here in the States, the automaker's stagnating lineup and lack of vehicles with clear desirability — once you got past the hardcore Lancer Evolution series, at least — led to declining sales figures through the 2000s. The brand's more recent resurgence, led by the latest Mitsubishi Outlander and Outlander PHEV, which it co-developed with fellow Japanese partner Nissan, first began around the year 2018, says Mitsubishi North America President and CEO Mark Chaffin. "Momentum 2030 will build on that, setting the stage for new powertrains and vehicles being introduced, new dealerships being opened, and new technologies being developed to make the shopping and ownership experience faster, easier and more enjoyable." "New powertrains and new vehicles" are always keywords that pique the ears of automotive enthusiasts, and Mitsubishi seemingly has some solid stepping stones in the works to continue gaining momentum in the crucial American market, with trucks, crossovers and multi-purpose vehicles that could offer some truly interesting entries into segments the automaker hasn't dipped its toes in decades. One particular potential vehicle of interest is, oddly enough, a passenger van, which appears to be shown in the middle of the line-up preview photo below. But we're not talking about a run-of-the-mill minivan. According to dealership employees present at Mitsubishi's Momentum 2030 program cited by Automotive News, the van would take inspiration from the D:X Concept that we openly loved after its introduction in Tokyo last year. The van would reportedly maintain its rugged credentials — perfect for the growing number of Americans who embrace off-road lifestyles like camping and overlanding — and feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain. We can't imagine some of the concept's far-out features like a front glass panel to see the ground ahead or a dashboard and steering wheel setup that moves with the driver's door making it into production. The three-row, six-passenger seating arrangement and true off-road tuning on the other hand are likely items for the final product.