Mitsubishi simply refuses to die in the American market.
#16
The EVO was expensive and ugly inside and out and had a punishing ride,
#17
Those 90s-vintages Eclipses, particularly the Turbos, were fun to drive, but notoriously poorly-built. I described some of the defects I found in them above.
Yeah, even with higher-profile tires than what we have today, over bumps, the Evo bucked and heaved like the suspension components were all welded on solid LOL. But the young kids that bought, drag-raced, and auto-crossed them didn't care....their backs and legs were strong. And the bust-your-***** suspension also gave the Evo a (slight) advantage over its arch-rival Subaru STI in handling.
Yeah, even with higher-profile tires than what we have today, over bumps, the Evo bucked and heaved like the suspension components were all welded on solid LOL. But the young kids that bought, drag-raced, and auto-crossed them didn't care....their backs and legs were strong. And the bust-your-***** suspension also gave the Evo a (slight) advantage over its arch-rival Subaru STI in handling.
#18
#19
My parents have a 98 Montero Sport that's still in pretty decent shape for its age and mileage(about 300,000).
If there's one vehicle I'd like them to bring back, it's the Montero Sport. The market needs BoF SUV's.
If there's one vehicle I'd like them to bring back, it's the Montero Sport. The market needs BoF SUV's.
#20
The Montero Sport was a nice package, but, from what I remember, it lacked something I'd consider important. Perhaps (?) because of its lower price, at least in the early-production models (not sure about later ones?), it lacked the electronic torque-on-demand, use-on-any-surface AWD system, with the center differential, that the larger Montero (Pajero) had. The Sport made do with a dated (even for the time) part-time 4WD system and manual transfer-case.....which was fine off-road, but greatly limited the use of the 4WD on paved surfaces.
#21
+1 gotta hand it to mitsubishi motors as well. their lineup is interesting. with the lancer discontinued, they will have 1 EV, 1 sedan and 3 SUV's (outlander, outlander sport, and the new eclipse CUV). that mitsubishi of the 90s is long gone
#22
What I meant by that phrase, in the opening post, is that despite being in a very bad competitive position, the company is apparently going to stick it out as long a possible. Daihatsu, Suzuki, and Isuzu simply packed up and left, hanging all of their American-market employees out to dry. Mitsu, at least, is still officially in business, even if some employees at dealerships have lost their jobs when the dealerships closed.
Interestingly enough, their website for brand-new vehicles still lists the (2015) Evo...so, apparently, there was a batch of 2-3 year old models somewhere that were never sold.....or, if so, never had a clear title.
their lineup is interesting. with the lancer discontinued, they will have 1 EV, 1 sedan and 3 SUV's (outlander, outlander sport, and the new eclipse CUV). that mitsubishi of the 90s is long gone
#23
What I meant by that phrase, in the opening post, is that despite being in a very bad competitive position, the company is apparently going to stick it out as long a possible. Daihatsu, Suzuki, and Isuzu simply packed up and left, hanging all of their American-market employees out to dry. Mitsu, at least, is still officially in business, even if some employees at dealerships have lost their jobs when the dealerships closed.
As you may already have seen, they're still cranking out with the sales even with their small lineup. 86,500+ sold to date in October 2017.
Source: http://media.mitsubishicars.com/chan...ctober-sales-2
That number is mostly likely worldwide, thus, I'm curious to know how many were sold only in the US?
#24
The Montero Sport was a nice package, but, from what I remember, it lacked something I'd consider important. Perhaps (?) because of its lower price, at least in the early-production models (not sure about later ones?), it lacked the electronic torque-on-demand, use-on-any-surface AWD system, with the center differential, that the larger Montero (Pajero) had. The Sport made do with a dated (even for the time) part-time 4WD system and manual transfer-case.....which was fine off-road, but greatly limited the use of the 4WD on paved surfaces.
I have 2 main complaints with the vehicle.
A) Relatively gutless. It employs a 3.0 V6 engine making a grand total of 177 hp(eventually). Not a fun highway cruiser if you live in the intermountain west.
B) It has this awful seat adjustment handle on the side of the drivers seat that sometimes snags the family jewels as you climb up into it. Very unpleasant.
#25
Part time 4WD is perfect for the vehicle's purpose as an off-roader. I think a full-time AWD system is better geared for CUV's that never leave the highway, but the intended purpose of BoF SUV's was to be taken off-road. We've done some good off-roading in the Montero Sport.
A) Relatively gutless. It employs a 3.0 V6 engine making a grand total of 177 hp(eventually). Not a fun highway cruiser if you live in the intermountain west.
#26
I'm surprised at the dislike for the 2003-2015 Lancer Evolution here. Those are great cars. Sure, they aren't for everyone but they weren't supposed to be in the first place. Those were exactly the right car for not just teenage hopeful buyers but people who love turbo all wheel drive rally machines.
The only problem with its place in the lineup is that it was the ONLY notably interesting car in the lineup and of course it was built the right way for driving and rally enthusiasts and not to please people who didn't understand or care about what it was.
You saw an Evo in the showroom and it stood out from every other vehicle on offer which were and still are fairly middling and bland. The Evo has car enthusiast prestige but the rest of Mitsubishi's lineup doesn't even have the reputation that Subaru and Mazda have cultivated for theirs. Subaru sells far more normal cars than its STI's and WRX's but they still offer those models. Mazda sells far more normal cars than their Miata MX-5 or the extremely rare rotary vehicle but the Miata is still a mainstay and something-or-other is still in the R&D phase with their rotary engine.
Mitsubishi's big issue may indeed be that their dealer network in the U.S. is so small that they have chased the lowest common denominator in an effort to stay alive on these shores.
Despite this I think the current products speak for themselves. The Lancer wasn't bad at all but other than with the Evo (and the short lived Ralliart turbo weirdly with no manual gearbox option) the company didn't try very hard to make it appealing outside of its rally car roots. An even bigger case in point would be the long dead Galant. No trying at all there. Why would anyone buy a recent Galant over an Accord, Mazda6 or a Camry? Elsewhere in the world a wagon version was offered (Mitsubishi Legnum) and most notably there was an upscale Galant VR-4 with a V6 twin turbo and all wheel drive system. I do believe the majority of those were automatic but for some generations of the post-rally-car-early-90's Galant VR-4 even a manual was offered.
Now maybe Mitsubishi did need to focus on quality, materials and build quality but the point is that Mitsubishi did have better products and parts bin technologies that they could have offered but they just refused to bother in the USA. With that mindset dragging on for years is it any wonder that they're in the situation they've arrived at today, not just in the United States market but even in Japan?
I do hope good things come of the merger with Renault-Nissan. And not in the same way that Nissan went back into profitability but now sells mostly four wheeled CVT appliances with no really good features any longer and fairly ugly looks.
The only problem with its place in the lineup is that it was the ONLY notably interesting car in the lineup and of course it was built the right way for driving and rally enthusiasts and not to please people who didn't understand or care about what it was.
You saw an Evo in the showroom and it stood out from every other vehicle on offer which were and still are fairly middling and bland. The Evo has car enthusiast prestige but the rest of Mitsubishi's lineup doesn't even have the reputation that Subaru and Mazda have cultivated for theirs. Subaru sells far more normal cars than its STI's and WRX's but they still offer those models. Mazda sells far more normal cars than their Miata MX-5 or the extremely rare rotary vehicle but the Miata is still a mainstay and something-or-other is still in the R&D phase with their rotary engine.
Mitsubishi's big issue may indeed be that their dealer network in the U.S. is so small that they have chased the lowest common denominator in an effort to stay alive on these shores.
Despite this I think the current products speak for themselves. The Lancer wasn't bad at all but other than with the Evo (and the short lived Ralliart turbo weirdly with no manual gearbox option) the company didn't try very hard to make it appealing outside of its rally car roots. An even bigger case in point would be the long dead Galant. No trying at all there. Why would anyone buy a recent Galant over an Accord, Mazda6 or a Camry? Elsewhere in the world a wagon version was offered (Mitsubishi Legnum) and most notably there was an upscale Galant VR-4 with a V6 twin turbo and all wheel drive system. I do believe the majority of those were automatic but for some generations of the post-rally-car-early-90's Galant VR-4 even a manual was offered.
Now maybe Mitsubishi did need to focus on quality, materials and build quality but the point is that Mitsubishi did have better products and parts bin technologies that they could have offered but they just refused to bother in the USA. With that mindset dragging on for years is it any wonder that they're in the situation they've arrived at today, not just in the United States market but even in Japan?
I do hope good things come of the merger with Renault-Nissan. And not in the same way that Nissan went back into profitability but now sells mostly four wheeled CVT appliances with no really good features any longer and fairly ugly looks.
#27
I'm surprised at the dislike for the 2003-2015 Lancer Evolution here. Those are great cars. Sure, they aren't for everyone but they weren't supposed to be in the first place. Those were exactly the right car for not just teenage hopeful buyers but people who love turbo all wheel drive rally machines.
The only problem with its place in the lineup is that it was the ONLY notably interesting car in the lineup and of course it was built the right way for driving and rally enthusiasts and not to please people who didn't understand or care about what it was.
The only problem with its place in the lineup is that it was the ONLY notably interesting car in the lineup and of course it was built the right way for driving and rally enthusiasts and not to please people who didn't understand or care about what it was.
You saw an Evo in the showroom and it stood out from every other vehicle on offer which were and still are fairly middling and bland. The Evo has car enthusiast prestige but the rest of Mitsubishi's lineup doesn't even have the reputation that Subaru and Mazda have cultivated for theirs. Subaru sells far more normal cars than its STI's and WRX's but they still offer those models. Mazda sells far more normal cars than their Miata MX-5 or the extremely rare rotary vehicle but the Miata is still a mainstay and something-or-other is still in the R&D phase with their rotary engine.
Mitsubishi's big issue may indeed be that their dealer network in the U.S. is so small that they have chased the lowest common denominator in an effort to stay alive on these shores.
#28
looks like Mitsubishi had a good 2017 year: https://www.autoblog.com/2018/02/01/...er-crossovers/
The year 2017 was a very good one for Mitsubishi in the United States. For the first time since 2007, the company sold more than 100,000 cars and crossovers here. Most of the credit goes to the Outlander, which sold just over 8,700 more examples this year than in 2016 for a total of 35,310. It was also the overall bestseller for the company in America. Its slightly smaller cousin, the Outlander Sport, was the second-best with 33,160 units, a number that barely changed from 2016.
Also interesting to note is that each of Mitsubishi's crossovers roughly equaled the total number of traditional car sales, which include the last Lancers, Evos and i-MiEVs, as well as the Mirage hatch and Mirage G4 sedan. The Lancer actually did all right considering it was phased out in the middle of last year, selling over 12,000 units, almost as many as in 2016. Mirage hatchback sales dropped quite significantly at just over 6,000, but Mirage G4 sedan sales increased by roughly the same amount.
Considering the weaker car sales, Mitsubishi has probably made the right decision to focus on expanding its crossover line with the all-new Eclipse Cross launching this year, and the newly available Outlander PHEV.
This milestone also marks Mitsubishi's slow and steady gains lately. According to the company, this is the fifth year of increased sales in the U.S. And on a global scale, the company saw gains, too. Its sales topped 1 million worldwide compared with 934,000 in 2016. In China sales were up over 50 percent, and it also saw sales increases in the Germany, Russia, Japan, Australia, and many countries in southeast Asia. So it seems Mitsubishi is making a nice little turnaround for itself.
Also interesting to note is that each of Mitsubishi's crossovers roughly equaled the total number of traditional car sales, which include the last Lancers, Evos and i-MiEVs, as well as the Mirage hatch and Mirage G4 sedan. The Lancer actually did all right considering it was phased out in the middle of last year, selling over 12,000 units, almost as many as in 2016. Mirage hatchback sales dropped quite significantly at just over 6,000, but Mirage G4 sedan sales increased by roughly the same amount.
Considering the weaker car sales, Mitsubishi has probably made the right decision to focus on expanding its crossover line with the all-new Eclipse Cross launching this year, and the newly available Outlander PHEV.
This milestone also marks Mitsubishi's slow and steady gains lately. According to the company, this is the fifth year of increased sales in the U.S. And on a global scale, the company saw gains, too. Its sales topped 1 million worldwide compared with 934,000 in 2016. In China sales were up over 50 percent, and it also saw sales increases in the Germany, Russia, Japan, Australia, and many countries in southeast Asia. So it seems Mitsubishi is making a nice little turnaround for itself.
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