Mitsubishi UK sales DOUBLE in October – Outlander plug-in HALF of all sales

Mitsubishi UK managed to double sale in the UK in October 2018, with strong sales of the Eclipse Cross, Outlander and Outlander PHEV.

Mitsubishi isn’t a huge player in the UK, selling its range of cars mainly to private buyers and small businesses, but it’s doing pretty well.

The UK new car market was actually down in October – but only slightly – but Mitsubishi has manged to double it sales in October 2018 compared to 2017, with sales of 1,933 cars compared to just 968 a year only.

That impressive growth is, in part, down to the success of the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and sales of the petrol and diesel Outlander PHEV. But the biggest part is sales of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, accounting for half of all sales in October.

Sales of the Outlander PHEV rose by 83 per cent in October as it continued its run as the UK’s favourite plug-in, but the figures could be a little skewed by the abolition of the grant for plug-in vehicles.

That was announced early in October and, although originally scheduled to take effect in 12 November, a spike in sales of plug-ins saw the government pull the plug on the grant by 25 October. There’s no doubt Mitsubishi benefited.

Rob Lindley, Mitsubishi UK MD, said:

Our strongest October sales performance since 2005 has helped solidify what has been a successful year for the brand. The launch of three new 4WD and SUV models this year, including the 2019 Outlander PHEV, has enabled us to maintain our momentum and sales success throughout the year. This is vital as we build and grow our brand into 2019 and beyond.

It’ll be interesting to see if Mitsubishi can maintain their sales growth of the PHEV now the grant has been removed, and equally interesting to see if they respond to the UK demand by delivering an Outlander PHEV with increased EV range to make it qualify for the single Tier 1 grant. Which is an appealing prospect, if a little unlikely.