Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Very true. And in such a competitive segment, you have to put your best foot forward and try to turn out something that stands out from the rest. In the Camry and Accords case, they come from strong backgrounds and are still riding high from their names. The Altima and Mazda6 have always been good too, just lingering in the shadows of the above two stated, and the Fusion seems to be an up and coming rising star. As for the Galant, It seems to serve no other purpose or iconic role other than being "a car" plain and simple. I think if they wanted to really spice up this model, they'd thoroughly revise it and offer AWD and a turbo 4 from the EVO similar to the last gen Speed6 would be cool. Just some food for thought Mitsubishi

mmarshall

Let's also not forget, though, that the Montero Sport had an El-Cheapo, Jeep Wrangler-type, part-time 4WD system that could not be used on dry-pavement cornering without risking tire/drivetrain damage...a PITA, considering the way most SUVs are used today. In those days, you had to spend substantially more and get the big Montero to get an automatic, full-time 4WD/AWD....something I pointed out to the Mitsubishi people several times (with deaf ears).

The Endeavor may LOOK funky (especially with that big silver, boom-box-styled dash), but it at least has a up-to-date AWD system that doesn't have a bunch of road-surface restrictions and fumbling around with a manual transfer-case lever. And even the inexpensive Outlander also has a proper full-time AWD system

jre002

I agree with previous poster that Mitsubishi really messed up the design of the Eclipse with the 3rd and 4th GENS. The market was steering towards RWD/AWD and they should have followed that trend with the Eclipse. I guess they wanted to distinguish it more from the EVO. The Galant was also a nice car back in the day. I find the last couple of iterations of the Galant to be quite fugly. Old school Mitsus had some character. I don't even like the new EVO styling that much to be honest.

Fizzboy7

The majority of SUV drivers don't go off-road or use 4WD. They base their purchase on styling, status/bling, and city errands (soccer mom/cargo) abilities. So I don't think there's a connection to what you listed about their 4WD systems making or breaking their sales. The Montero Sport was modern, affordable, and had clean styling. It sold well for it's first few years. The Endeavor grew in size, had bizarre, funky, bloated, nerdy styling, horrible interior asthetics, and was overpriced.

mmarshall

I agree that off-roading, with the possible exception of the Jeep Wrangler, is generally not done by many SUV owners (the average rate is about 4-5%). Nevertheless, 4WD/AWD is in fact a major reason why many buyers do choose an SUV...for winter security even on pavement. And the Montero Sport, like it or not, simply did not have a driver-friendly, set-and-forget automatic system. Fortunately, the Montero Sport had progressed beyond the days when you had to physically stop the truck, climb out, and, with your hands, manually rotate both front-wheel hubs to engage the part-time AWD (I'm sure some of you old-timers still remember that). But it still had a simple, cheap-to-produce manual transfer-case and part-time system with a lack of a center differential. Most SUV buyers simply don't want that anymore (which is why you don't see it on the Outlander, Endeavor, or the now-discontinued Montero), though some pickups still have it.

Anyhow, I don't know how we got off into SUVs, but the main thread topic is the Galant and Eclipse.

GS69

Mitsubishi to Kill Current US Made LineUp
Bring in New PlatForm

TOKYO -- Mitsubishi Motors Corp. plans to kill its current lineup of U.S.-made vehicles, including the Eclipse sporty car and Endeavor crossover, over the next 3 years and switch to producing global vehicles at its Illinois plant, partly to target export markets.

The current nameplates will be phased out by 2014 as part of the carmaker's “Jump 2013” mid-term business plan unveiled today by President Osamu Masuko.

Mitsubishi's factory in Normal, Ill., its only U.S. assembly plant, will pick up new models based on the platform underpinning the Outlander crossover, Outlander Sport small crossover and Lancer sedan. The company plans to announce early next month what model will debut there.

Discontinuing the Eclipse, Eclipse Spyder, Endeavor and Galant sedan is an element of Mitsubishi's plan to build on the company's 3% U.S. sales increase last year after years of steady decline. Despite losing the 4 models from its local lineup, Masuko predicted U.S. sales and production would rise as the company ramps up the new vehicle family.

Sales up
“Our sales in North America will increase,” Masuko said. “We'll still be selling cars brought in from Japan, and we'll be adding the global small car as well.”

Masuko did not give a sales target for the United States. Mitsubishi expects combined sales to the Japanese, North American and European markets to grow by 90,000 units over the next 3 years.

Masuko noted that Mitsubishi's U.S. business will also get a lift from improvement in overall market demand. Masuko added that he intends to keep Mitsubishi's U.S. retail network stable at around 400 dealerships.

Mitsubishi sold 55,683 vehicles in the United States in 2010, up 3% from 2009.

Going green
The new global small car, which Mitsubishi plans to initially build in Thailand, is among the cars Masuko plans to bring to the United States. Another is the Japan-made i-MiEV electric vehicle, which will be labeled “i powered by MiEV” in North America when it goes on sale late this year.

Masuko said Mitsubishi and Nissan Motor Co. are exploring the possibility of jointly developing a 1-ton pickup truck for emerging markets. That comes as Mitsubishi reaches out to competitors such as Nissan and Suzuki Motor Corp. to help it flesh out its lineup with small cars and commercial vehicles.

Masuko said the U.S. overhaul does not include plans for any rebadged vehicles.

Mitsubishi has been without a pickup in the United States since it killed the Raider in 2009. That vehicle was a rebadged Dodge Dakota.

After the new platform enters production in Illinois, Mitsubishi plans to sell half of its output in North America and the rest overseas. The goal is to leverage shipments to dollar zone regions, such as Latin America and the Middle East, where exports from Japan are less competitive.

Emerging markets
Mitsubishi's Jump 2013 plan focuses on rolling out eight electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids, as well as boosting business in emerging markets such as China, Russia and Brazil.

Global sales are seen climbing 37% to 1.37 million vehicles in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014, from estimated worldwide volume of 1.0 million units this fiscal year.

The bulk of that increase will come from emerging markets, Mitsubishi says.

Mitsubishi also aims to double operating profit to 90 billion yen ($1.1 billion) in that period.

On the green car front, Mitsubishi said it will launch 8 electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles by the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016. The rollout starts this year with a small commercial truck version of its i-MiEV. The lineup is also expected to include a plug-in hybrid SUV based on the Px-MiEV concept car shown at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.

You can reach Hans Greimel at hgreimel@crain.com.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Lancers must be their big seller.
That's about the only Mitsubishi I see on the road.Once in awhile a Galant.

spwolf

ASX is great... it needs bigger engine for US, but for Europe, it is really well done... nice diesel too.

LexFather

Sadly these cars are so bad today no one cares if they are canceled. So sad, the versions in the 1990s were awesome.

spwolf

Lancer and ASX are nice... Colt is too. Outlander twins in Europe sells really well (Peugeot and Citroen versions).

Vladi

Well everything is going according to the plan. Mitsu North America should have never happened. They still have the plant and getting rid of it or putting something in it is on top of their list. Till then USA will enjoy global cars..

..For a while

OC 335d

Eclipse has been terrible ever since after the GS-T/GSX. Has been ugly since its inception though.

STIG

Yup. agreed. Mitsubishi should just focus on making other stuff. Their JDM cars are decent but USDM ones are just terrible.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Report: Mitsubishi to kill Eclipse, Endeavor and Galant

It turns out the rumors we heard about the languishing Mitsubishi lineup are true. According to Automotive News, Mitsubishi is planning to drop the axe on the entirety of its American-made portfolio of vehicles in order to begin building new global platforms here in the States. That means that the Eclipse, Endeavor and Galant will all be sent to pasture gradually between now and 2014. In their place, Mitsubishi is likely to begin building cars and crossovers off of the Lancer and Outlander bones at the company's Normal, Illinois manufacturing facility. At least some of those vehicles will be hybrid or battery powered.

Mitsubishi has made it clear that the company will offer eight hybrid and battery-powered vehicles by 2015 in a move to be better prepared for rising fuel prices. The company saw a sales increase of around three percent last year, and by 2013 or 2014, the automaker says that it plans to see that figure at 37 percent. That would mean Mitsubishi would need to move a total of 1.37 million vehicles by that date.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/01/20/r...or-and-galant/

____________

seems to me like Mitsubishi, much like Honda are stuck idling. Some awesome cars were produced by them back in the 90's, and unfortunately those legendary nameplates have been more and more diluted from what they once were. I miss those AWD Eclipses..

bad co

How are they not broke yet?