The market will dictate whether Mitsubishi Motors Corp. exports its new Z global family of small cars to North America, says Rolf Eckrodt, executive vice president and chief operating officer. “I think there is room for smaller cars in the U.S. in the future,” he tells WAW. “It will happen, and we are ready to go.” At the Tokyo motor show, Mitsubishi unveils two concept versions of the global platform developed in tandem with DaimlerChrysler AG's Smart division (see story, p.48). The first Mitsubishi offering bows in Japan at the end of 2002 as an '03 model.
Meanwhile, Mitsubishi, which is partnered with Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. in a joint transmission venture (Jatco TransTechnology), is working on next-generation CVT technology with possible application in future small (C segment) and midsize (D segment) cars being developed in partnership with the Chrysler Group. Mitsubishi also will lead engineering on the next-generation Mitsubishi Lancer/Dodge Neon platform.
