It's no secret that Mitsubishi is sort of struggling here in the US market. America hasn't contracted i-MEV mania like everybody (well, technically, nobody) predicted, and it's not like anything else is flying off the lots. They need to do something radical, and the good news is they already have it: the Canter Guts.
Yep, the Canter Guts. That's the name, the actual name, of Mitsubishi's line of beefy, cab-over work trucks. It was actually via everyone's favorite Jalopnik-alumnus Murilee Martin that I encountered this name, so, thanks Murilee. And, really, the name is 80% of the reason why I think Mitsubishi should bring this into the US market.
But an industrial work truck isn't going to help Mitsubishi's problem. But making the only cab-over luxury SUV on the market just might. Gas is cheap again, people are still reasonably stupid, so instead of fading away into anonymity or wherever the hell American Suzuki went, Mitsubishi needs to go full batshit and convert the Canter Guts into an SUV.
A cab-over SUV. The only cab-over SUV. I love cab-over vehicles, and I think the world needs more of them. And the layout even makes sense for something like this. And, yes, technically, you could call this a van, but for marketing purposes, Mitsu should go all out on the 'cab-over SUV' thing.
Maybe even just shorten the name to 'Guts.' And take the double-cab one, and stick an SUV-style fastback on the end there. Slap as much leather and stainless steel and whalebone and eagle's beak as you can in the interior, and give some out to celebrities. People like Daniel Craig and Nathan Lane and Ronda Rousey and Bill Bryson — people like that. Tastemakers.
The result would be an unmistakable standout vehicle with an unforgettable name that people would love or hate. Which is much better than the collective not-give-a-shittery Mitsubishi is faced with now. It could be the new face of Mitsubishi and suddenly bring them back into relevance, and, from there, success.
Or it could be a colossal failure. But what a way to go, right?