Moussa is also eager to get the freshened Eclipse Cross, which has struggled in the U.S. despite, with its 2018 launch, being Mitsubishi’s newest vehicle. Through the first three quarters of 2020, the Eclipse Cross had 8,775 sales and was the brand’s poorest-performing nameplate.
The biggest problem has been its polarizing styling, with a crossbar that bisects the rear glass window. Auto writers have likened it to the ungainly Pontiac Aztek from the early 2000s. The Eclipse Cross also uses a touchpad for the infotainment display that many buyers find inferior to a touch screen.
The restyled crossover, which goes on sale as a 2022 model, eliminates the rear crossbar and presents a restyled front and rear. It also now has a touch screen display.
Moussa said customers have commented that the freshened Eclipse Cross looks like it could be an Acura or Lexus product.
Mitsubishi Motors North America spokesman Jeremy Barnes said the first-quarter product blitz will bolster dealers in the new year.
“They’ll have one of the newest and most updated showroom lineups,” he said. The Outlander plug-in hybrid, which is carrying over the current design for now, has a bigger engine and battery for the 2021 model year.
The product updates bode well for the brand coming out of the coronavirus crisis, Barnes said. At the same time, Mitsubishi is freshening its organization, with a new U.S. headquarters in Franklin, Tenn., near its deep-pocketed partner Nissan North America, and a new North American CEO, with Yoichi Yokozawa named in March.
Hopefully, he added, the Mitsubishi investments will cool yearslong speculation that the automaker could leave the U.S. entirely.
None of these product investments, he said, “are the sort of thing a company planning an exit does, and I’d hope that perhaps this allows everyone to finally put the ‘Mitsubishi is leaving’ story aside,” Barnes said in an email to Automotive News.
Moussa said he’s confident that Mitsubishi has a long-term commitment to the U.S. and is supportive of the brand’s current marketing campaign.
“I think they are here to stay, and with them launching the [next-gen] Outlander as a U.S. vehicle, that’s a big indication that they are staying.”
Gremore said he plans to stock up on the redesigned Outlander and that it will be launching at a good time, in late March, during peak spring selling season.
“It’s been a long wait for this new Outlander,” he said. “It’s coming. We’re rounding third, and it’s going to be here in the next quarter. And from there, we’ll see what happens.”
