Mitsubishi’s Sales Fell in 2025 After It Dropped Its Cheapest Car

Market Shifts Spare No One

The industry has been shaken by shifting market conditions this year, significantly affecting EV brands like Tesla. Yet despite not selling battery electric vehicles (BEVs) – at least as of this writing – Mitsubishi still posted a 13.7 percent decline in its 2025 sales in the U.S., delivering 94,754 vehicles overall.

Mitsubishi’s most popular model, the Outlander, also experienced a noticeable dip. The SUV sold 35,895 units last year, marking a decline of 9,358 vehicles compared to 2024. The Outlander did receive a new off-road-oriented trim for the 2025 model year, which the company said “provided a bump in attention and showroom traffic.”

However, a larger factor behind the model’s sales decline may be the discontinuation of the Mirage after the 2024 MY, a move that left the automaker without an entry in the relatively affordable sedan segment.

Life After the Mirage

As a result, brands such as Toyota and Honda now remain among the few automakers in the U.S. offering economy sedans, with the Corolla and Civic, respectively. Even the Mirage’s direct subcompact sedan rival, the Nissan Versa, has been discontinued, effectively signaling the end of brand-new cars priced sub-$20K.

However, Mitsubishi did not deliver an outright poor sales performance in 2025. The Outlander Sport, the nameplate’s smaller and more affordable five-seat variant, recorded a 35.4 percent increase, rising to 20,480 units sold. Meanwhile, the Eclipse Cross posted even stronger growth, with sales climbing to 17,508 units, a 37.6 percent increase over 2024.

As for the Outlander PHEV, historically one of the world’s top-selling plug-in hybrid models, the automaker sold 6,294 units in the U.S., 681 fewer than the previous year.

Setting the Stage for the Coming Years

Mitsubishi also noted that Q4 2025 was its best-selling quarter of the year, though it still represents a 21.3 percent decline compared to Q4 2024. The momentum from the final quarter suggests a more optimistic outlook as the company heads into the new year – an important development as it begins executing its Momentum 2030 strategy.

Under the plan, Mitsubishi will launch three new products in the U.S. over the course of 2026. These include an updated Outlander PHEV scheduled to arrive in the spring, an all-new, Nissan Leaf-based battery electric vehicle (BEV) set for late summer, and a new rugged Outlander variant expected toward the end of the year.

In addition to product launches, Mitsubishi plans to roll out a new retail approach called the Gallery dealership in Q1 2026.

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