Big Outlander sales rekindle Mitsubishi dealer enthusiasm

Minnesota dealer Richard Herod III is the fired-up, incoming chairman of the Mitsubishi National Advisory Board. His term begins at the NADA Show, and he's stepping up from vice chairman. Herod, 44, is particularly fired up about the all-new Mitsubishi Outlander, which debuted in February 2021.

"The Outlander has been a hit from day one — the car, the price, the packaging. If we had more, we'd sell more. I can't wait for the plug-in hybrid," said Herod, general manager and managing partner at White Bear Mitsubishi in White Bear Lake, Minn., in the St. Paul area.

Herod is part owner, in partnership with Rydell Automotive Group of Grand Forks, N.D. His dealership's mascot is a white bear, and the store's used-car purchasing program is named "The Bear Buys." A separate location that focuses on used cars, parts and service and motorsports in Mounds View, Minn., is named "The Bear Lot."

His enthusiasm for the brand is understandable. The Outlander racked up a 24 percent improvement in 2021 U.S. sales over 2020, flirting with 25-year-old monthly sales records, despite low inventory late in the year resulting from the industrywide shortage of computer chips and other supply chain glitches.

The new Outlander is a product of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance and shares a platform with the Nissan Rogue. A plug-in hybrid version of the redesigned Outlander debuts in the second half of this year, probably as a 2023 model.

The sticker price for the 2022 Outlander starts at $34,940, including $1,195 shipping. Even with options usually found only on luxury vehicles, such as a heated steering wheel and leather seating surfaces with quilted-pattern stitching, the sticker price is $38,590.

"We have never seen the volume of Outlander like we're seeing today," Herod said. "As inventories improve, the sky's the limit."