Mitsubishi, Renault-Nissan put mid-size sedan plans on hold

A planned mid-size sedan tie-up between Mitsubishi and the Renault-Nissan Alliances has fallen apart, a new report finds.
Back in late 2013 Mitsubishi announced that it would eventually replace its Galant mid-size sedan with a new model sourced from Renault-Nissan. However, that project has reportedly been scrapped for reasons unknown.

Mitsubishi informed its dealers of the news at a recent franchise meeting.

“I told them that the plan has stalled,” Don Swearingen, executive vice president of Mitsubishi Motors North America, told Automotive News. “And I said that’s really all I can tell you at this time.”

Swearingen declined to specify if the mid-size sedan project was merely on hold or canceled altogether. “All options are still open,” he added.

Mitsubishi’s Renault-Nissan partnership was farther-reaching than just a mid-size sedan. A kei car for Japan and a replacement for the Lancer compact were also on the table, but it remains unknown if those projects will also be canned.

Despite lacking a sedan in the volume mid-size segment, Mitsubishi boosted its sales by 25 percent to 77,643 units last year. Nissan, meanwhile, sold 32,331 units of its mid-size Altima sedan in December 2014 alone.