Frontier Lithium announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Panasonic Energy and Mitsubishi Corporation to explore potential collaboration in developing the North American battery supply chain. Under the agreement, Panasonic Energy has expressed interest in procuring lithium hydroxide from the PAK Lithium Project in Ontario, Canada. The project, which is being advanced through a joint venture between Frontier and Mitsubishi, plans to develop an upstream lithium mine and mill as well as a downstream lithium conversion facility. The project is expected to begin producing approximately 20,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium salts annually starting in 2030.

[Kyodo: Mitsubishi Motors to Entrust Foxconn with EV Production] Kyodo News reported that Japan's Mitsubishi Motors is expected to entrust the Foxconn Group with the production of electric vehicles. Foxconn has previously shown interest in collaborating with Honda and Nissan, making the extent of this Japan-Taiwan cooperation a focal point of attention.

【Mitsubishi Considers Launching Electric Colt Using Renault Platform】According to foreign media reports, Mitsubishi Motors is planning to launch a new generation of Colt compact electric vehicles. The model will be based on Renault's technology. French media reported that the eighth-generation Colt is scheduled to be launched as a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) in 2027. Its technical platform will be based on the Renault 5 E-Tech Electric platform, which has also given rise to models such as the Alpine A290 and the new Nissan Micra.

【Mitsubishi Motors and Foxconn Ink EV Partnership Agreement】Mitsubishi Motors and Foxconn have reached an EV partnership agreement. According to the memorandum of understanding, Foxconn's EV subsidiary, Foxtron, will develop and manufacture an EV for Mitsubishi targeting the Australian and New Zealand markets, with a planned launch in the second half of 2026.

Mitsubishi Motors expects its profitability in North America to improve significantly in the coming year due to reduced incentives, improved exchange rates and strong sales of the Outlander plug-in hybrid crossover.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engine & Turbocharger, Ltd. (MHIET), a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (CRCHI), successfully conducted a trial operation of a 500 kW-class hydrogen fuel engine generator set at its Sagamihara plant. The generator set achieved rated operation (435 kW/1,500 min-1) using 100% hydrogen fuel. Following safety and reliability evaluations, the commercialization process has been accelerated.

Once production commences, the annual output is expected to be about 20,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent, which can support the production of approximately 300,000 electric vehicles.

[Mitsubishi Chemical and CATL Sign Lithium-ion Secondary Battery Patent Technology License Agreement!] On May 15, Mitsubishi Chemical announced that it had signed a lithium-ion secondary battery patent technology license agreement with CATL. The announcement revealed that MU Ionic Solutions, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, had reached a technology license agreement with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited regarding patents related to lithium-ion secondary batteries (hereinafter referred to as "LIB") held by MUIS.

Mitsubishi Electric announced that it would postpone investment in the power component business Mitsubishi Electric announced that, in response to market changes, it would postpone investment in the power component business and redirect some resources to the data center photovoltaic component business, which has shown strong performance.

On the morning of December 23, foreign media reported significant news that Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan would hold board meetings to officially initiate business integration talks, followed by a joint press conference. Notably, Nissan's alliance partner Mitsubishi Motors is also expected to participate in the meeting. Earlier, Japan's Kyodo News reported that Honda and Nissan were considering producing vehicles at each other's factories to deepen cooperation, potentially paving the way for a merger plan. It is reported that the two companies aim to complete integration talks in the future.