Automotive News Europe — 2023-11-20
Automotive Industry
Renault Group’s new Ampere unit will produce a compact full-electric SUV vehicle for alliance partner Mitsubishi, the company said.
Mitsubishi plans to invest €200 m ($217 m) in Ampere, a spinoff that Renault hopes will go public via an IPO next spring. Nissan, which holds a majority stake in Mitsubishi, has said it will contribute €600 m to Ampere.
The EV for Mitsubishi will be built on the Renault-Nissan Alliance CMF-EV platform for compact vehicles, now renamed AmpR Medium, Renault and Ampere CEO Luca de Meo told analysts at a capital markets day event in Paris on Wednesday.
More details about the car will be revealed in 2024, a spokesman for Mitsubishi Motors Europe told Automotive News Europe. Mitsubishi was an early mover in EVs with the i-MiEV launched in 2010, but the brand has not had a full-electric car in its European lineup recently.
Mitsubishi has so far only announced the vehicle for Europe, but de Meo at the event said that the car would be built “for the world.”
Renault has helped Mitsubishi rebuild its European range with rebadged versions of its own models, starting with the ASX small SUV (Renault Captur) that went on sale in March and the Colt small car (Renault Clio) that followed last month.
Ampere-built compact SUVs will include the Renault Scenic E-Tech (2024) and the Alpine GT crossover. The unit will also build two small models for Renault, the 4 and 5, the new Micra small car for Nissan, and the Alpine A290, a version of the Renault 5.
A new EV would boost Mitsubishi’s standing in Europe’s increasingly competitive electrified market. The brand has focused on plug-in hybrids, with the Eclipse Cross compact SUV and next year’s replacement for the Outlander midsize SUV. The ASX and Colt are available with full-hybrid drivetrains.
Mitsubishi’s sales in Europe have fallen 28% in the first nine months to 29,854 according to figures from market researchers Dataforce, following a slump in demand for the Eclipse Cross. Sales of the model were down by more than 12,000 units compared with the same period last year after a strong 2022
The fall in sales for the Eclipse Cross was due to tougher market conditions and improved supply of competitor models following last year’s supply chain difficulties, Mitsubishi said in an emailed statement.
Mitsubishi pulled out of certain European markets such as the UK and Belgium in 2020 in a reorganization of its business in the region.