Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Mitsubishi Motors has both positive and negative engagement with climate policy in the US, Australia, and Japan in 2022-24. Mitsubishi Motors retains memberships to several industry associations that have engaged negatively with key climate policies.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Mitsubishi Motors appears to have both positive and negative positions in its top-line messaging on climate policy. In its 2024 Sustainability Report, published in July 2024, Mitsubishi Motors supported greenhouse gas emissions reductions in line with 1.5°C. In a consultation response to the Australia National Electric Vehicle Strategy in October 2022, Mitsubishi Motors supported the Paris Agreement, while emphasizing economic concerns over climate regulation.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: In the US, in October 2023 US federal regulatory comments, Mitsubishi advocated to weaken the stringency of proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and to maintain flexibilities like off-cycle and air-conditioning credits further weaken the program. In July 2023 comments to the EPA, Mitsubishi advocated to reduce the stringency of the proposed US GHG emissions standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles MY 2027+ and to maintain credit programs that would further weaken the program.
In a March 2024 consultation response on Australia's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), Mitsubishi Advocating to delay the introduction of Australia's proposed fuel efficiency standards until 2027 with flexibilities which weaken the stringency of the standard including super credits and AC credits.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Mitsubishi Motors has generally engaged negatively with measures promoting the electrification of transportation. In its consultation response to the Australian National Electric Vehicle Strategy (NEVS) in October 2022, Mitsubishi Motors appeared to oppose Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) mandates and ICE-phaseout dates, while supporting a longer-term role for Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)-powered vehicles. According to media reports by Drive in October 2024 and Which Car in January 2023 and August 2022, the company’s Australia CEO, Shaun Westcott, also appeared to support a longer-term role for ICE-powered vehicles over the full electrification of transportation in Australia.
In a Which car article published in December 2023, the vice president, Hiroshi Nagaoka, supported a longer-term role for ICE (internal combustion engine)-powered hybrids as well as Plug in hybrids (PHEVs) over electrification.
Industry Association Governance: Mitsubishi Motors has disclosed a partial list of its industry association memberships, including in the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) and Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) which have engaged negatively with numerous strands of climate-related regulation. However, Mitsubishi has not published an industry association review. Mitsubishi Motors is also Deputy Chair of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), which has engaged negatively with Australian climate policy for light-duty vehicles.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q4 2024.