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If It Looks and Moves Like a Renault, It’s a Mitsubishi

The same models (with different badges, and possibly other minor things), the same markets, two companies. That pretty much sums up the announcement made today by French carmaker Renault and its Alliance partner, Mitsubishi.
Renault to share two models with Mitsubishi 1 photo
Photo: Renault
Ever since the Carlos Ghosn affair, relations between Renault and its main partner Nissan have not been exactly warm. The Japanese went after the man guns blazing, while the French kind of held back, waiting to see how the entire thing played out. In the meantime, the third party in the Alliance, Mitsubishi, was somewhat sidelined, as if it did not know who to root for, and pretty much sank into oblivion.

Now that the dust has settled on this whole thing, Mitsubishi announced its comeback after implementing a freeze in new vehicle development for the European market last year. It will come back alone, but with significant help from Renault.

More to the point, come 2023, Mitsubishi will hit select European markets with two new models. They will be made by Renault in its own plants, based on existing Renault models that meet regulatory requirements, but they’ll be sold as Mitsubishis. You know, because of “differentiations reflecting the Mitsubishi brand’s DNA” ...

“Mitsubishi Motors welcomes Renault’s OEM models for the European market, and ultimately new customers. Mitsubishi Motors has been implementing structural reforms in Europe and our decision to freeze new car development for the European Market, announced in July 2020 in our mid-term business plans, remains,” said in a statement Takao Kato, CEO Mitsubishi Motors.

“However, the OEM supply agreement will provide us with a solution to offer new products developed and manufactured in Europe–alongside our ongoing after sales business.“

Neither of the two companies named the models that will be part of the sharing agreement, but they did say both of them will be meant for mainland Europe only, and not built in right-hand-drive configuration for the British market.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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