Mitsubishi and Nissan to team on US PHEV ute

WHILE both Mitsubishi and Nissan have remained shtum on the prospect of an electrified ute for the Australian market, it is a vastly different story in the United States.

According to a report published by Automotive News this week, the alliance partners are set to develop region-specific products that will include a next-generation utility, EV, and a plug-in hybrid.

Speaking on the topic, Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said his company will launch its first North American plug-in hybrid, based on a system engineered by Mitsubishi, in the not-too-distant future, while Mitsubishi will launch an electric vehicle utilising Nissan’s technology.

Meanwhile, Nissan and Mitsubishi will jointly develop a next-generation pick-up (ute) to be produced in Mexico. Mr Uchida says both battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) versions of the model are under consideration.

The vehicle – which would likely arrive as a successor to the US Nissan Frontier – will also serve to expand Mitsubishi’s position in the thriving mid-size ‘truck’ market. US dealers currently do not have access to the Mitsubishi Triton, the manufacturer stymied by the 25 per cent tariff placed on imported light commercial vehicles.

Building the model in Mexico would allow shipment into the US and Latin America.

Pooling resources in this manner would allow both Mitsubishi and Nissan to expand the scale of their North American operations while helping share the burden of developing vehicles alone in the costly age of electrification – a point Mr Uchida reinforced in his recent mid-term business plan.

“We cannot do everything alone – we need partnerships to fill strategic gaps,” he stated.

Automotive News says this includes the co-development of a one-tonne pick-up truck and launching a plug-in hybrid model together. Mitsubishi, Mr Uchida said, will “utilise Nissan EV assets” in the US market.

In February, Mitsubishi Motors executive vice president Hiroshi Nagaoka said his company – which currently has one of the smallest portfolios in the United State – was in discussion with alliance partners to source re-badged vehicles.

“In North America, we will receive a supply of vehicles from our alliance partners to a certain extent,” he detailed.

“We will receive what is necessary in our overall product line-up. In the electrification shift, new cars will become necessary. So, we are discussing (this possibility) with our partners.”

Looking further ahead, the Mitsubishi-Nissan alliance will introduce a jointly developed electric (BEV) pick-up.

Expected to arrive between 2027 and 2031, the model could help both marques achieve emissions goals while bringing products to market that compete against similar vehicles from Chevrolet, Ford, Rivian, and Tesla.