Mitsubishi’s struggles mirror those of its larger partner, Nissan, but without the vast resources to recover as easily. Nissan recently appointed a new CEO following financial turmoil, which included a failed merger with Honda, factory closures, and widespread job cuts. However, Mitsubishi has faced its own challenge and has adjusted its net profit forecast downward by a staggering 76 percent for the financial year ending March 2025. The company now expects to sell 848,000 vehicles, a drop from the originally projected 895,000.
Despite these setbacks, Mitsubishi has managed to find a silver lining. The company sold 815,000 units in the previous year, meaning sales are still experiencing slight growth. Additionally, Mitsubishi has taken steps to introduce new models. The latest Colt is essentially a rebadged Renault Clio, while the second-generation Mitsubishi ASX is a Renault Captur II at heart. Meanwhile, the company has unveiled the new Outlander Sport, a model based on the Mitsubishi Xforce from Southeast Asia. However, this version won’t be available in the United States even though the local Outlander Sport remains a 15-year-old model. Instead, Mitsubishi designed this variant for the South African market.
For North America, Mitsubishi has focused on its best-selling nameplate—the refreshed 2025 Outlander. This upgraded model remains the brand’s key player in the region, and Mitsubishi is even rolling out a new Outlander Trail Edition later this year to cater to adventure-seeking customers.
As Mitsubishi struggles to regain its footing, digital car designers have started envisioning what the company’s future might look like. One of them, Philippines-based virtual artist Enoch Gabriel Gonzalez, known as enochgonzalesdesigns on social media, has given Mitsubishi SUV fans something to get excited about.
Gonzalez digitally reimagined the legendary Mitsubishi Pajero for the late 2020s, raising an important question: Should this CGI version inspire a revived Montero for the North American market? If so, another unofficial design concept follows the same idea—a three-door Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution.
This concept leads to yet another question: Should Mitsubishi consider bringing back the Montero to compete with the two-door versions of the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco? What do you think?