Mitsubishi Galantpinterest
Mitsubishi hasn’t had an entry in the popular, profitable mid-size-sedan segment since the long-in-the-tooth Galant made its exit in 2012. Getting back into the family-sedan game will be expensive—perhaps too expensive for the tri-diamond brand. That’s why, according to reports, Mitsubishi is in talks with Nissan to plot a mid-size partnership.

The report comes after similar talks broke down between Mitsubishi and Renault, according to unnamed insiders who spoke with Automotive News. When Mitsubishi severed plans for a small- and mid-size-sedan partnership with the French marque, it turned to the other half of the Nissan-Renault duo.

Don’t expect any immediate action, though: A Mitsubishi spokesman told Automotive News that plans for a Galant replacement are on indefinite hold while the company scrambles to develop a replacement for the aging and increasingly uncompetitive Lancer small sedan.

While the Lancer replacement would have appeal across many markets worldwide, the planned Renault-based mid-sizer would have almost assuredly been limited to the North American market. A plan to import Mitsubishi-badged Renault sedans from the French company’s South Korea assembly plant was scuttled when the value of Korea’s currency shot up, making it economically unfeasible.

The need for new Mitsubishi offerings in both the small-sedan and mid-size markets is clear: U.S. Lancer sales dropped 15 percent last year, and while Mitsubishi’s overall sales grew by a quarter in 2014, it was on the backs of SUVs and crossovers like the Outlander Sport.