Mitsubishi’s UK return will only be a success if its cars are very cheap
Editor Paul Barker struggles to see how Mitsubishi will make an impact in the UK as it returns to a more competitive market than ever
If all the Chinese brands we’d never heard of aren’t enough for you, now the car makers we thought were long dead in the UK are making a comeback. As well as TVR’s latest rebirth, which you have to take with a pinch of salt because there have been so many false starts in the past, Mitsubishi has decided that five years is too long and that it missed the British car market after all.
Its 2021 exit from the UK was part of a cost-saving plan for the troubled brand most famous for hulking 4x4 Shoguns, plus super-fast Evo saloons that stretched across 10 generations between 1992 and 2016. During that time, the rivalry with Subaru’s Impreza was as fierce as any in the industry.
The return will be overseen by an importer called IM Group, which ironically already handles Subaru in the UK, as well as Isuzu, Great Wall and Xpeng. It manages the spare parts business for older Mitsubishis still on the road, and has plenty of expertise in small-volume niche cars.
But it’s hard to see where the opportunity is for the marque, in what is a far more crowded market than the one it failed to make an impact in last time. Those Chinese brands are hungry for success, and while Mitsubishi has yet to confirm what models it will bring over, they’re likely to be the ones built as part of its alliance with Renault. A rebadged Clio (the Colt), Captur (the ASX) or Symbioz (the Grow – yes really) won’t excite buyers unless it’s really cheap. And even then, there are lots of other affordable options already here.
Plans will be firmed up in 2026, and it will be interesting to see if buyers have missed Mitsubishi, and are prepared to return to a brand which must prove all over again that it’s around for the long term. One thing in its favour could be how Chinese newcomers have seemingly changed attitudes. The rate that buyers have been taking the plunge on cars from firms they hadn’t even heard of a year ago has surprised many in the automotive industry, and shows that UK consumers don’t appear to be as badge-loyal as was once thought.
The long-standing marques are increasingly leaning on their heritage, and maybe a new brand that’s actually an old brand might have a chance of sticking around this time after all.
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