After hearing the sad news of the Cedia Sports and Lancer Evolution being discontinued in India, Mitsubishi has even worst news for their fans. The company has now pulled the plug on the Outlander, which was doing some numbers in the first half of 2012. In 2013, Mitsubishi has sold 0 units of the Outlander in the Indian market. The company sold 1 unit in December 2012 and 6 units in November 2012. With no prospective buyer in sight, it is a wise move by Mitsubishi to stop selling the vehicle completely.
So why hasn’t the Outlander worked for Mitsubishi in India? It was priced decently at Rs. 24.56 lakhs but it lacked a diesel heart. SUVs have to be diesel powered in India, no matter what price point they are offered at. The 2.4-litre MIVEC motor produces 170 BHP of power and 226 Nm of torque, mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The only competitor to the Outlander is the Honda CR-V which too doesn’t have a diesel under its hood. With Honda going the CKD route, the Outlander’s CBU pricing meant people found more value in the CR-V.
Just last year Mitsubishi unveiled the new 2014 Outlander, which finally gets a diesel engine option. The 2.2-litre diesel mill belts out 150 BHP of power and 380 Nm of torque. If locally assembled, the Outlander could give many of its rivals some serious competition. The lack of good alternatives in the Rs. 20-30 lakh SUV segment means the Toyota Fortuner runs ahead of everyone (in terms of sales), while the SsangYong Rexton tries hard to keep up.
Mitsubishi’s India lineup now consists of the Pajero Sport and Montero. While the Pajero Sport sells around 150 odd units every month, the Montero hasn’t sold at all this year. The last time Mitsubishi sold the Montero in India was October 2012, when 2 units moved out of showrooms. There are chances of Mitsubishi discontinuing the Montero as well. CBU pricing makes the Montero very expensive (Rs. 55.90 lakhs for the automatic variant) while the Pajero Sport is locally assembled and is thus decently priced (Rs. 27.11 lakhs, all prices on-road Mumbai).
