Mitsubishi Motors Europe posted a 9% increase in sales to 227,630 units sold in 33 countries last year.
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“Momentum was maintained in spite of Russia no longer being part of MME’s business region,” the automaker said in a statement.
MME said it achieved a “very good performance” despite a sluggish German market (-9.2% overall, a reflection of the artificial push at the end of 2006 prior to the increase of the VAT rate, of increasing fuel prices and of the ongoing political discussion about a CO2-based motor vehicle tax) and a slow-down at the UK unit.
Russia – previously MME’s largest and fastest-growing market – was changed to a stand-alone business region last April, reporting direct to head office in Japan.
“The strategic requirements to develop Mitsubishi’s presence in Russia are now very different in product and business terms when compared to the those of western and central Europe and as a result, [are] better suited to MMC’s direct management of this market,” MME said.
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By GlobalDataMME made gains in France (+31%), Norway (+45%) and Switzerland (+ 20%).
Italy was up 5%, Spanish sales rose 1.3%, and volume rose 5% in the Netherlands home market.
In contrast to this modest west Europe growth, sales in Ukraine – where Mitsubishi Motors remained the top brand overall for the fourth consecutive year – grew 95%, more than twice the total market (+46%).
A concerted push into central and eastern Europe was rewarded with boosts in Estonia (+45%), Latvia (+26%), Lithuania (+34%), Poland (+ 63%), the Czech Republic and Slovakia (+49%) Romania, (up from 2006’s 1,672 units to 3,578), Slovenia (+63%) and Bulgaria (+93%).
MME’s Mediterranean region saw sales rise in Israel (9,057 sales or +24%) and Turkey (6,971 sales or +6%)
MME president and CEO Tim Tozer said: “2007 has been another good year for Mitsubishi sales in Europe. Sales of our two new 4x4s – Pajero and Outlander – have been particularly buoyant, consolidating our strong reputation in this field and for the latter, achieving a high conquest rate of 80%.”
We have also seen solid progress in certain key markets which augurs well for the future.
“Late 2007 [saw] the launch of our new Lancer sports sedan, the first in a complete new family of C/D segment cars which also includes the new Lancer Sportback and Lancer Evolution which arrive later in 2008.
“These products will spearhead our entry into a 5m-unit-a-year segment enabling sales and profit growth to continue this year. We look forward to 2008 with confidence.”
