√Mitsubishi Australia wait times to improve within months

Wait times on new orders for Mitsubishi SUVs and utes in Australia currently span three to eight months, but improvements are said to be on the way.

Mitsubishi Australia says it expects shipping bottlenecks and logistics delays to ease over the next three to six months – and boost stock levels available in showrooms.

The boss of Mitsubishi Australia told a media briefing the company is chartering its own ships – and pulling other strings behind the scenes – to alleviate shipping delays slowing arrivals of its cars.

“We are expecting to see a significant increase in supply; our current market [sales] numbers [are] no reflection [of demand]. Our order bank is very strong. The problem at the moment is purely shipping and logistics,” company CEO Shaun Westcott told a briefing of Australian media.

The executive said wait times on new orders stretch from three months on some models, to up to seven or eight months for the Outlander Exceed Tourer family SUV – which is hit hardest by semiconductor (computer chip) shortages as the top-of-the-range model, and the most popular variant.

“The Exceed Tourer … it has the most demand, it has the most semiconductors. There are still some semiconductor challenges,” said Mr Westcott.

The company says there is stock available in dealerships for immediate delivery of various models in particular colours and model grades.

Australia’s final examples of the current-generation Mitsubishi Triton are due to arrive in showrooms in November or December – pending any shipping delays – and stock is expected to run dry within weeks of the arrival of the new model in mid-February (also pending delays).

“We think we’re going to be tight [on stock] in the last six weeks or two months,” Mr Westcott said.

Production of the new Triton is due to begin in Thailand for Australia in December 2023, in four specification levels, six-speed automatics only, and Club and double-cab body styles.

Cab-chassis versions – as well as six-speed manual transmission variants – are due at a later date, and there is expected to be a more significant ‘blackout’ between old and new models for these variants.

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