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Mitsubishi’s “preferred” plan is to return to the UK as part of a broader strategy to rebuild its business in Europe, its European boss has told Autocar.

The Japanese brand left the UK in 2020 amid the Covid-led sales collapse that forced a fundamental rethink across its global markets, including Europe.

However, Mitsubishi has since returned to most of its former European markets with the aid of new models sourced from Alliance partner Renault.

Mitsubishi would like to include the UK in that plan, said Frank Krol: “If you look at the potential and size of the market, it's our preferred route to go back, basically. But we need to have the right product line-up for that."

Last year, Mitsubishi launched rebadged versions of the Renault Clio supermini and Renault Captur small crossover, named Colt and ASX. 

And earlier this year, it began European sales of the self-developed Outlander plug-in hybrid SUV, a replacement for the model that topped the UK PHEV charts for so long.

It will further expand its range with the Grandis compact SUV, a version of the Renault Symbioz being revealed on 1 July, and in the autumn with a new electric SUV built by Renault on the same CMF-EV platform that underpins the Renault Scenic and Nissan Ariya, expected to be called Eclipse Cross.

Mitsubishi is currently winding down sales of the current Eclipse Cross and budget Space Star (Mirage) small car – both of which were sold in the UK - because they don’t comply with the EU's new General Safety Regulations 2 legislation.

Mitsubishi’s preferred models for a UK market return include the forthcoming Scenic sibling and potentially a new Outlander PHEV, Krol said.

Both models would better showcase the values of the brand than the Colt and ASX, which have helped Mitsubishi re-establish itself amid changing regulations but are little differentiated from their donor Renault models.

Krol gave no timing for the launch of a new Outlander, but the current model was launched in 2021 globally, suggesting a refresh is due around 2027.

Mitsubishi is still a recognised brand in the UK, but it will have to move fairly quick to capitalise on that advantage.

“It is not preferred to have extremely a long period without any sales presence,” Krol said. “That's something we would need to consider.”

The hot new Kia EV9 GT will be priced from £82,185 when it lands in the UK later this summer.

One of the UK's fastest seven-seaters, it's capable of dispatching the 0-62mph sprint in 4.6sec, putting it on a par with the BMW iX xDrive60 and placing it between the 4 and 4S versions of the Porsche Macan Electric.

The electric SUV has a 215bhp motor mounted on the front axle and a 362bhp electric motor at the rear combining for a total output of 502bhp. That’s 124bhp more than the current EV9 range-topper, the GT-Line S.

The only seven-seaters faster than the EV9 GT are the Audi SQ7 (taking 4.1sec to hit 62mph) and the Tesla Model X Plaid (2.5sec to 60mph) – although the Tesla is no longer offered in right-hand-drive form here. 

As well as the significant bump in power, the EV9 GT gets the simulated gearbox and engine sounds from Kia sibling brand Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N.

This can be controlled using paddles mounted on the steering wheel and is intended to add more engagement to the electric driving experience.

Kia has also made a number of tweaks to ensure that the SUV – which weighs 2648kg in more mild GT-Line form – can corner too. It gets electronic suspension, which adjusts its firmness based on the car’s drive mode, in addition to an electronic limited-slip differential that distributes power to the wheels with the most traction.

Stopping power is said to have been boosted by the fitting of larger front brakes. 

The EV9 GT's range is officially pegged at 280 miles between charges, considerably down on the 349 miles of the more efficient EV9 Air.

Its 99.8kWh battery can be recharged from 10-80% in 24 minutes, according to Kia.

Inside, the EV9 GT is differentiated from the standard EV9 by a range of neon-green accents, such as on the steering wheel and on the GT-specific sports seats, which are upholstered in Alcantara and imitation leather. The ambient lighting can also be set to the same green tone.