This sort of things is extremely difficult to predict. Either you have insider information, or you find analysts supporting both sides of the possibility with convincing reasoning.

Personally I don't see Nissan's board making the decision to liquidate Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA). It's not like Mitsubishi Motors is losing a money and on life support or anything here. They have actually been far from that, and making a profit since the financial year of 2014. That is, with decade-old models like the Lancer.

What's the most valuable for Mitsubishi Motors in the West is their reputation and infrastructure (sales network, logistics, parts, service, etc.). With a good halo car that goes cult and Kia/Hyundai-like brilliant grocery-getters, they can unlock astonishing profits. Their greatest challenge in the West is to find an edge ahead of the industry. For this brand, the only way to do this is to go after the cheap, analogue, and fun car submarket, which is still a niche in our decade. Put a lot of horsepower, a loud exhaust, and a steam punk-style interior heightening the analogue nature in a very analogue chassis, like envisioning the F-Type and Viper being Jetta-cheap, and they will have something very ahead of our time.

People buy different genres of cars for specific reasons. If an automaker doesn't understand these reasons, it loses profitability. For cheap sports cars, people buy them for the fun and horsepower. WRX, GT86 (BRZ/FR-S), and Mustang are models kind of hitting the nail, but missing the head. Today's automakers trying to make their cheap sports cars more technology packed, more track capable, or move upmarket are completely missing the point.

It's difficult to bet that Mitsubishi and Nissan's executives are seeing this. After all, they are all trying so hard to be the next Tesla.

 

I agree ^ and it depends on Nissan.


1.) Nissan brings deep pockets and re-infuses the Mitsu design and expands once more to a full line of performance-oriented bang/buck (what was Pontiac to GM~ish). Nissan lacks affordable performance and has failed to invest further in 370Z follow-on. GT-R design is really quite old at this point as well. It would make sense for Nissan to pursue to consider this...


2.) Nissan doesn't see a future for Mitsu which competes (somewhat) against several Nissan lines. Nissan strips the best parts of Mitsu and wholesales the rest... Maybe the EVO engineering team (is there one still at this point?) brings new passion to Nissan... [shrug]

 

Sometimes you need a surgical knife and a sledgehammer. Toyota has been using Subaru as the surgical knife, while itself being the sledgehammer. Subaru has been targeting a few market niches where the Toyota brand couldn't reach, and the Toyota brand gets to target the big markets. For example, Subaru Impreza and Toyota Corolla are very similar cars, but these two brands have been selling them without much cannibalism.

I'm confident that Ghosn has noticed this.

 

I like Mitsubshi.If they did pull out US.I buy in Japan.The blackbook price will be good for Mitsubshi vehicle if they did go.

 

^Good analysis.