Automotive News Europe - December 2017 - Talk from the Top Supplement - 18

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE

TALK FROM THE TOP

Crossover heavy
Mitsubishi COO Mann looks to reduce reliance on SUVs in Europe

arlos Ghosn's first steps after Nissan
took a controlling stake in scandalhit Mitsubishi Motors last October were
to install himself as chairman and to appoint Trevor Mann, then Nissan's chief
performance officer, as Mitsubishi's chief
operating officer. The British executive
faces the complex task of integrating the
Japanese automaker into the Renault-Nissan alliance and addressing Mitsubishi's
heavy reliance on SUVs in Europe. Mann
outlined his plans to overcome those challenges in an interview with Automotive
News Europe Correspondent Nick Gibbs.
The launch of the Eclipse Cross between the ASX and Outlander gives
Mitsubishi four SUVs in Europe. Could
Mitsubishi become an SUV-only brand?
You can sell just one type of vehicle, but
you've also got to look at what doors that
closes. If people like your cars they will
likely buy more than one of them for the
family, so we've got to make sure we've
got a relevant and coherent offering.
What percentage of your European
sales are SUVs?
We were 77 percent last year if you include pickups.
Mitsubishi's approach to models has
been all over the place. Does it need
to be more focused?
It has been a bit inconsistent. I think
we need to be quite focused in terms of
where we want to go in the future.
Mitsubishi has said a new EV is coming. Will that car be switched to Nissan EV technology?
This is something we are looking at now.
Can Mitsubishi produce cars in Nissan factories?
We have about 20 cross-company teams
working on technological, regional and
functional access to understand how we
can help each other.
What can Nissan do for Mitsubishi?
It can provide scale as well as access
to platforms, powertrains and advanced
technology that a company of 1 million
units may find difficult to invest in.

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And vice versa?
What Mitsubishi can bring to Nissan is
1 million units, 4x4 technology, the technology for the body-on-frame vehicles,
such as the Pajero Sport SUV and the
pickups. We also are extremely strong in
Southeast Asia.
As Renault does with Dacia, could
Mitsubishi rebrand Nissans or Renaults to strengthen itself in markets
where sales are weak?
I'm not a big fan of cross-badging. You
can convince yourself it's a good idea, but
convincing the customer is more difficult.
If you look around the industry, the examples of where it works are few and far between. It works for LCVs [light commercial
vehicles] because the reason
for purchase is not necessarily
Meet the COO
the brand, but more the sense
of comfort you get with your
❚ NAME: Trevor Mann
dealer and network.
❚ T
ITLE:

Is cross-badging most suitMitsubishi Chief Operating Officer
ed to emerging markets?
❚ AGE: 56
It's ideal when one brand is
strong and the other brand
❚ M
AIN CHALLENGE: Creating
doesn't have a strong pressynergies between Mitsubishi and
ence. For example, Renault is
its new alliance partners in less
almost non-existent in Southtime than it took for Renault and
east Asia, so if it made sense
Nissan to work together effectively.
for Mitsubishi to cross-badge
a Renault product there that
in almost every major market -- the U.S.,
could be an interesting discussion.
China, Southeast Asia, Europe, Russia.
Plug-in hybrids are one of Mitsubi- Personally, I don't think we're punching
shi's strengths while Nissan has nev- at our weight in Europe. I've got higher
er been that enthusiastic about the expectations. We're certainly not punchtechnology. Will that change?
ing at our weight in the U.S. or China. If
Mitsubishi is the world's No. 1 plug-in you look at what our brand can deliver,
hybrid manufacturer. This year we're we've got a 15 percent market share
looking at selling more than 100,000 in the Philippines, 8 percent to 9 perunits. We are seeing more plug-in hy- cent in Indonesia, 8 percent in Thailand,
brids coming into the market, but we still 7 percent to 8 percent in Australia. That's
have a unique offering. It's a fundamen- what our ambition should be.
tal part of our future strategy. When we
Do you need to leave any markets?
talk about synergies, this is something
that we can offer Nissan so that Nissan Once you're in, you're in. If you start to
be in and out, you have problems with indoesn't have to develop its own.
vestors and customers, so we're in. What
Does Mitsubishi need to expand the we've got to decide is where the growth
number of markets it's in?
is coming from in the short to midterm.
One of Mitsubishi's strengths - as well We can't fight all corners, but we can say,
as one of its weaknesses -- is that we're "These are priority markets." ANE

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2017

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