How Mitsubishi plans to keep its identity while sharing technology with Nissan and Renault

Mitsubishi may be in alliance with Nissan and Renault, but it doesn't want its cars to lose their identity.

Mitsubishi's next-gen Outlander, which hit Australian showrooms this month, may share similarities with the Nissan X-Trail and Renault Koleos, but the brand believes its product can still retain a unique identity.

Having entered into an alliance with Nissan and Renault in 2016, Mitsubishi has turned to its partners for new technologies and architectures – where it makes sense – to reduce the cost of developing new vehicles, resulting in the new Outlander using the CMF-CD platform.

Both the Outlander and X-Trail also use the same 2.5-liter four-cylinder petrol engine and continuously variable transmission (CVT). launch.

But Mitsubishi Australia General Manager Marketing and Product Strategy Oliver Mann said: Cars Guide The Outlander is very different both in feel and appearance.

“Everything you see, feel and touch in the Outlander is Mitsubishi, and what you don’t see is what we use the Alliance for,” he said. 

“So while the hardware and drivetrain systems may be the same, we are very proud of our Super All Wheel Control heritage and it is the design of these control systems that really sets Mitsubishi apart.”

Even a technology that could have great benefits for Mitsubishi will be rejected if it doesn't feel "Mitsubishi," said brand public relations manager Katherine Humphreys-Scott.

“If donor technology ever comes along, we won’t take it if it doesn’t feel like Mitsubishi,” she said. 

“If you can feel it, whether it's how it rides or you can touch it, then it must feel Mitsubishi. So while technology may be available from an Alliance partner, if it doesn't fit with our philosophy and approach, and what our customers expect when they get into our car, then we'll look elsewhere. 

"We will not compromise with the brand."

However, one exception to this philosophy appears to be the 2020 Mitsubishi Express commercial van, which is simply a rebadged version of the Renault Trafic with some equipment omitted to keep the price down.

Mitsubishi Express received a controversial zero-star rating in an ANCAP safety rating in early 2021, citing a lack of advanced safety features such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane keeping assist.

While the mechanically related Trafic also lacks such features - and lacks an official ANCAP safety rating - it was released way back in 2015, before tougher, more stringent crash tests were introduced. 

To also separate all three brands in Australia, especially the two SUVs and the car-focused Japanese brands, Mr Mann said there is no information on future plans between the two.

"The first thing to say is that with the Alliance, we don't know what Nissan is doing in Australia with their product thinking," he said.

“So we are completely blind to what they are doing.

“All we can talk about is what we do and the benefits that the Alliance offers us, such as the platform that the Outlander is based on and shared with Nissan, as well as a range of other Alliance products.”