Filed under: Budget, Hatchback, Mitsubishi, Canada
Automotive News reports
Mitsubishi plans to bring its recently unveiled
Mirage to the Canadian market, and that the five-door hatch has a 50-percent chance of making it to U.S. buyers as well. Mitsubishi pulled the Mirage nameplate from the U.S. in 2002, but unveiled
a new version of the car in Thailand just last month. At a smidge over 146 inches long, the tiny hatch would be a suitable competitor for the likes of the
Chevrolet Spark and give dealers a much-needed product infusion. The company
killed off the
Eclipse, Eclipse Spyder and the
Endeavor just recently and Mitsubishi showrooms are starting to look decidedly emaciated.
But Mitsubishi says it may not be as simple as dropping the new Mirage on U.S. soil and hoping for the best. The automaker has a reworked
Outlander coming down the pike, and launching two models in close succession may make already scarce marketing dollars even harder to come by.
Then there's the fact that the new Mirage is a no-nonsense, bare-bones creation designed to appeal to the budget-minded buyers of South Asia. Mitsubishi has some reservations about unleashing the model on content-hungry Americans. Even so, Mitsubishi says the company has yet to reach an official decision about a U.S. launch.
Mitsubishi Mirage headed to Canada, U.S. sales chances "50-50" originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Concept Cars, Budget, Hybrid, Tokyo Motor Show, Crossover, Hatchback, Mitsubishi
With the
Tokyo Motor Show coming up around the bend, Japan's automakers are preparing to roll out their best. And
Mitsubishi isn't about to sit idly by.
The Tri-Diamond automaker has two major world debuts planned for its home-market expo: one production vehicle and one concept. The former sees the return of the Mirage nameplate - most prominently used in the 1980s - in place of the
Colt with a new entry-level model. The basic five-door hatchback packs an economical 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine with stop/start and a continuously variable transmission that will hit the Thai market first when it launches in March 2012.
Joining the new Mirage on the Mitsubishi stage will be the Concept PX-MiEV II, a plug-in hybrid crossover that joins the i-MiEV electric car and the Minicab-MiEV light-duty commercial vehicle in the company's expanding portfolio of electric vehicles. A 2.0-liter four-banger is coupled to a pair of 60-kilowatt electric motors to drive all four wheels through the
Lancer Evo's S-AWC traction system to deliver comparable power to a 3.0-liter V6 while offering improved emissions and fuel consumption figures.
In addition to the usual battery-only and internal combustion generator modes, the PX-MiEV II also enables outdoorsy types to run portable appliances off the vehicle's battery packs. There's plenty more to digest in the press release, so
hit the jump to check it out, and scope out both the Mirage and the Concept PX-MiEV II in the pair of galleries for a closer look.
Continue reading Mitsubishi rolls out new Mirage alongside Concept PX-MiEV II for Tokyo
Mitsubishi rolls out new Mirage alongside Concept PX-MiEV II for Tokyo originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Nobody thought a
Volkswagen would ever win, just as nobody believed it possible for a
Nissan Z,
Taurus SHO, or
Saab to win. Today is Mitsubishi's day of improbable triumph!
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