Mitsubishi Launches New Recreational Vehicle

07/03/96

Intending to play catch up in the booming sport utility vehicle market, Mitsubishi has launched a new RV called the Challenger. Mitsubishi, Japan's third largest carmaker introduced the Challenger into Japanese markets, and the company plans to begin selling it in North America this November. The sticker price in Japan ranges from $21,000 to $28,000.

Mitsubishi plans to sell 2,000 of the new Challengers every month in Japan and 2,750 of them a month in North America, once they are introduced here in the fall. The company is planning additional RVs, and announced that their May sales in North America rose 4.4 percent over sales from May of the previous year. The company said that they have not yet seen any change in sales that could be connected to the sexual harassment suit that the U.S. Federal Government's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed against their North American division earlier this spring.

The Challenger will compete with Toyota's 4Runner and Nissan's Terrano/Pathfinder and is priced about $900 cheaper than other brand equivalents.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel