Mitusbishi Mirage: Yes For Canada, Maybe For America

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

Looks like I have my work cut out for me yet again; the new Mitsubishi Mirage will be coming to Canada, but Mitsubishi may not bring their new small car to the United States. Yes, I’ll take time to review it.

According to Automotive News, money is tight at Mitsubishi, and the new Outlander will take priority over the diminutive Mirage, with Mitsubishi spokesman Roger Yasukawa telling AN

“Our concern from a timing standpoint is that with the Outlander coming out next year, not too far from a possible launch of the [Mirage], we have to really think about resources,”

The Mirage is also on the small side for American tastes – about the size of a Chevrolet Spark, and even shorter than the Ford Fiesta or Kia Rio hatchback. Built in Thailand, the Mirage is meant to be basic transportation designed to give Mitsubishi a foothold in fast-growing Southeast Asian markets. Pricing would have to be rock bottom for it to sell in America, but if it costs too little, dealers may not make any money on the car.

The Mirage should do reasonably well in Canada, where small, affordable cars are always a hit. The province of Quebec in particular should be a big market for the Mirage. Hyundai Canada used to sell 50 percent of their Accents in Quebec alone (when the car could be had for under $10,000 brand new) – but the Mirage’s CVT-only configuration may not go over well in la belle province, where anecdotal evidence gleaned from walking the streets of Montreal suggests that buyers heavily favor manual transmissions in their compact cars, even in the hilly, narrow stop-and-go streets of Montreal and Quebec City.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Volt 230 Volt 230 on Apr 29, 2012

    mitsu seems to be big in the UK based upon all the reviews I read from there on the net

  • Ranwhenparked Ranwhenparked on Apr 29, 2012

    I don't see how having a new subcompact to sell would be a bad thing for Mitsubishi dealers - with the Lancer and Galant both embarrassingly outdated, any new passenger car sheetmetal at all would probably be welcomed with open arms. And the iMiEV doesn't count. They've already gone through the trouble to certify it for sale in Canada, which means it also conforms to most US federal regulations, so why not send a few south?

  • Icemilkcoffee Icemilkcoffee on Apr 30, 2012

    What happened to the plug-in hybrid Outlander that they promised earlier? That could well be a game-changer for them.

  • Sinistermisterman Sinistermisterman on Apr 30, 2012

    TTAC should really start a Mitsubishi 'Dead brand walking' thread going. Seriously though, if this car had been released 10 years ago it might have been stylistically on par with other small cars at the time. Bearing in mind it's a cheap Mitsubishi, it also might have been mechanically and technologically on par with other small cars at the time. But to release this car in 2012? Really? If this is all they have to offer, Mitsubishi are dead in the water.

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