2014 Mitsubishi Mirage

[Thirty-Nine]

Originally Posted by Kal-El

It's sad to see how badly Mitsubishi has fallen. They used to make a lot of good contenders, and now they are almost completely ignored. Any worse, and they'll have to pull out of the US. If they're going to compete, they'll need to try harder than this.

I agree 100%. As someone who grew up with Mitsubishi vehicles ('86 Colt/Mirage, '90 Eclipse, '92 Expo LRV, '94 Eclipse, '97 Montero Sport), I was always championing the brand. However, they've fallen off dramatically.

I think the new Mirage looks dated already. I also don't think they'll make too much profit off of each vehicle (no company does off of their subcompacts). They need a product that gets people to notice. Something that makes them seek out their local dealerships. This is obviously much easier said than done. Look at Suzuki. The Kizashi was a very good automobile, all in all. However, the lack of recognition, the tiny dealer network, and an inability to effectively market the product was the straw that broke the camel's back (among other things).

I'm rooting for Mitsubishi, I really am. But on paper, I don't know why someone would choose the Mirage over the Spark unless they 1) don't like American cars 2) hate the Spark's looks, or 3) Hate Chevy/GM in general. Hey—maybe the Mirage will drive head-and-shoulders better than the Spark in terms of driving dynamics, though ...

Unfortunately, I think the Mirage might be a "low card" when when Mitsubishi really need an ace. I hope I'm wrong. Unlike GM, I don't think Mitsubishi has the marketing budget to promote their subcompact car like Chevy has.

This brings me to the bigger picture, which is, what is Mitsubishi's follow-up act going to be? Lancer replacement? New CUVs?