Mitsubishi weighs a U.S. manufacturing comeback with Nissan and Honda

Mitsubishi is, for the first time in years, talking seriously about bringing manufacturing back to the United States. The brand hasn’t built cars on American soil since 2015, when the plant in Normal, Illinois, shut down; it had once been a joint venture with Chrysler and produced the Eclipse and Galant. Ever since, Mitsubishi’s U.S. lineup has relied on imports—an arrangement that leaves the brand exposed to tariffs and the mood swings of the market.

The company now openly concedes that carrying North America alone is a heavy lift. As a result, Mitsubishi is weighing cooperation with Nissan, its long-standing ally, and even with Honda. The options on the table range from jointly assembling high-volume crossovers to taking part in the shared development of new models, something Nissan and Honda are already discussing.

The thinking is clear: localization is essential, and without a plant of its own the only viable route is through partners. Nissan, for instance, has U.S. facilities where capacity may exceed demand, while Honda tends to be more heavily utilized—factors that would shape the math of any alliance. No specific models or sites are being named yet, but the company aims to move toward firmer decisions by the time its next midterm plan is expected in the spring. It comes across as a pragmatic course correction rather than a grand gesture, a sensible stance in a volatile market.