Mitsubishi goes discount finance too

MITSUBISHI Motors Australia has joined the cut-price finance push to help clear the decks of run-out Lancer stock and rev up Triton 4x4 ute sales this month.

The 0.9 per cent finance rate applies only to the superseded 2012 model-year Lancer small cars – in ES, ACTiV, VR, VRX, Aspire, Ralliart and Evolution specification levels – and 4x4 Tritons, until September 30.

The Adelaide-based company joins Nissan, Renault and Holden in the low-finance game in Australia over the past two months.

Mitsubishi Motors CEO Mutsuhiro Oshikiri said the new 0.9 percent comparison rate finance campaign was aimed at building on the sales of MMAL’s top performing products while also giving customers extra value.

“We anticipate the 0.9 per cent finance campaign will generate a lot of interest in two of our most popular models, Lancer and Triton 4x4,” he said.

Mitsubishi introduced its refreshed 2013 Lancer on September 1, but now needs to unload old stock remaining in showrooms and holding yards.

So far this year, Lancer sales are down 17.3 per cent for the first eight months of 2011.

Once one of Australia’s top-three small cars, the Lancer is now ranked seventh, trailing the Mazda3, Toyota Corolla, Holden Cruze, Hyundai i30, Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf.

The Triton 4x4 has fared better, with sales up by 6.8 per cent year to date, to hold down third place behind the Toyota HiLux and Nissan Navara 4x4 variants.

However, 4x4 ute volumes are up 19.6 per cent this year, mainly due to the arrival of newcomers such as the latest Mazda BT-50, VW Amarok and Isuzu D-Max.