Gasgoo.com (Shanghai July 3) - Despite its rising sales in China, Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi's sales worldwide are continuing to drop. According to a report appearing on the Internet News Agency today, Mitsubishi sold a total of 84,178 vehicles worldwide in May, 3.5 percent less than a year ago. The manufacturer's sales in its native Japan fell 6.9 percent in the month, while its Japanese-made exports decreased 11.8 percent. Exports of Asian-made Mitsubishis fared even worse, falling a full 58.3 percent from May 2011 to May 2012.

It is under this background that Mitsubishi has decided to devote more of its resources to expanding in the Chinese market. The manufacturer's joint venture with GAC Group is set to be officially established this September. At that time, the JV will bring over a slew of new models the country, including the ASX crossover, Pajero Sport SUV (pictured above) and Colt subcompact. The new Outlander has also been confirmed to make its Chinese market debut by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Soueast Mitsubishi will begin producing a new crossover developed on the Colt Plus platform, which may debut as early as next year. The JV will reportedly also begin selling the Lancer Fortis (pictured below), which made its regional debut at the Fuzhou International Auto Show earlier this year.

At the same time, sources from Mitsubishi's Chinese sales branch affirmed the manufacturer's commitment to developing and selling new energy vehicles in the country.