Last Word
As you read in the electric vehicle explainer piece earlier in this issue, electric vehicle adoption in Canada is on the rise. More than five per cent of all new vehicles sold in 2022 were EVs. Back in 2013, Norway showed that when sales surpass a five per cent adoption rate, this moves a product from niche to mainstream. Put another way, the vehicle moves from unusual to part of the conversation. Today, 80 per cent of vehicles sold in Norway are some sort of electrified vehicle. In Canada, both consumers and the industry are talking about electrified vehicles. Today, 18 per cent of Canadians are considering either a plug-in electric vehicle (PHEV) or a battery electric vehicle (BEV), and of those who con- sider an EV, 45 per cent actually purchase one. So why is this important? Is Mitsubishi Motors a leader in electric vehicles? Well, yes. You may know that the first generation of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV launched globally 10 years ago and that we brought it to the Canadian market in 2018. A year ago, we launched our second-generation PHEV, the all-new Outlander PHEV, and the reaction from customers, our dealers and the automotive press has been overwhelming- ly positive – so much so that it won the AJAC Mid-Sized Utility Vehicle of the Year Award for 2023. What you may not realize, however, is that it’s not the first Mitsubishi electric vehicle to be sold in Canada, and it’s far from the first EV developed by Mitsubishi Motors globally. Mitsubishi has a long history with automotive electrification going back to 1971, when we started the joint de- velopment of EVs with an electric power company. By 1995, we developed the Mitsubishi HEV, which offered the benefits of both electric and internal combustion motors. In 2005, we developed the MiEV Evolution, which used in-wheel motors and helped us experiment with the concept of combining electrification and all-wheel control. And then in 2009, we rolled out the i-MiEV, the world’s first mass-produced electric vehicle. We brought it to Canada to learn valuable lessons about electric vehicles and the Canadian geography, climate, charging infra- structure and driving preferences. Today, we believe the Outlander PHEV is the right vehicle for Canadians. As we look forward, the future is electric for Mitsubishi Motors – with every new vehicle we launch having an elec- trified version available, and 100 per cent EVs by 2035. That’s something we’re excited about and we know the next decade is going to be filled with plenty of product launches.
Steve Carter Director, Marketing Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada
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