(November 4, 2012) CYPRESS, Calif. —- Mitsubishi once had a full lineup for vehicles in the United States and was a viable competitor with many of its Japanese counterparts in North America. Times have changed and Mitsubishi is all but invisible with just a handful of models.

But the one Mitsubishi vehicle that remains competitive, the Outlander Sport compact crossover, showed a good sales month in October. Mitsubishi reported sales of the Outlander Sport were up 17.9 percent compared to the same month in 2011.

Sales of 1,675 represented the second highest monthly total ever for the fuel efficient CUV, manufactured in Normal, Ill. The monthly total was only exceeded by that of September 2012. For the January to September year-to-date, Outlander Sport sales are up 7.4 percent.

"We are pleased at the consistent growth of the Outlander Sport, our top seller in the U.S," said Mitsubishi North American President & CEO Yoichi Yokozawa. "This demonstrates that customers looking for a fuel-efficient CUV certainly have the Outlander Sport on their shopping list." For the current 2013 model year, Outlander Sport received numerous new improvements including enhanced exterior styling and interior design features.

Overall Mitsubishi sales were 3,981 units, down 9.1 percent compared to October 2011. That total however is impacted by models that ended their production in 2011. Total sales of models currently in production were up 7.0 percent for the month compared to October 2011.