This is my dream Mitsu Lineup for 2012:

1.) Colt ES/Ralliart
2.) I-Miev
3.) Lancer DE/ES/GTS/Ralliart (significantly improve the interior quality, maintain MSRP)
4.) Lancer Sportback GTS/Ralliart (significantly improve the interior quality, maintain MSRP)
5.) Lancer Evolution (halo cars should be limited production: 1500 units GSR, 1000 units MR, 500 units MR Touring) - significantly improve the interior quality
6.) Outlander - make the V6 standard (just like in 07), drop the ES trim, improve the interior quality; use SST transmission on GT trim. (maintain MSRP)
7.) Triton/Strada Pickup - Common-rail Turbo Diesel (already available in Asia)
8.) Montero Sport - Common-rail Turbo-Diesel (already available in Asia)

Mitsu seriously needs to revitalize the brand here in the US. Thoughts?

 

Agreed that Mitsu needs to really step up their game here in the US.

You're missing the largest car segment...a Camry/Accord fighter. The current Galant is a horrible car. They need a new car to slot into that spot. I'm not sure what they have in the works (full redesign of Galant or all-new car to replace).

I'm not convinced they need a pickup truck. The Raider has been a disaster for them. It's an overcrowded segment and when consumers think about pick up trucks the last brand they think about is Mitsu (and possibly VW). It's just not the right fit.

Other than that, I like your line up

 

^ Well, the biggest reason why the Raider failed was that it had no appeal at all... it is just a rebadged Dodge Dakota. Although the truck market in the US is a bit congested, we are still lacking in the small-midsize segment, what is out there? The Tacoma, Frontier, & Colorado, right? All of them are running on old technology, these platforms haven't really changed much over the years. Introduce a fuel-efficient turbo-diesel small/mid-sized pickup and I'm pretty sure it will create a market of its own.



As for the Montero Sport, they could offer it as a semi-luxury level trim... the one in South East Asia also runs on turbo diesel technology and seats 7, it's about the same size as the new Toyota Highlander, but so much more fuel-efficient and sexier (I've seen it in person, including the Strada pickup)



The Galant will have to be a whole new platform. The existing one is just too bland & dated.

 

But create a market for whom? It's very difficult to build a vehicle and hope it creates a market of consumers that would buy it. It's better to find out what consumer needs are out there and which aren't being met, and then design a vehicle to meet those needs (or offer a vehicle you already have overseas that meets those needs). The thing is that US consumers aren't clamoring for another pick up truck from a brand that doesn't have legitimate truck credentials. That's why the Raider failed...the truck was a perfectly good truck because it was a rebadged Dakota (just as good as any of the competitors). The problem was that consumers never said, "I hope Mitsu makes a pick up truck."

 

^ Perhaps you are right, I'm just basing it on my own opinion... but I was in the market for a small pickup a couple of years ago and did my own research from forums, etc. (and testdrives). A LOT of people are not too happy with the current selection, the tacoma is just too bland, the frontier has grown too much in size, the colorado didn't have enough appeal, etc. etc. A fuel efficient smaller diesel pickup has been a popular suggestion, but of course we have none of that here. I ended up not buying one LOL, just couldn't find something I liked. A couple months ago, I was in the Philippines, and saw the new diesel Stradas running around... was immediately envious. Too bad they don't sell it here.

 

I hear ya. I agree there could be a market need based on what you're saying and the potential dissatisfaction of small truck buyers. I'm just not sure Mitsu is the right brand to bring them the solution. I would be fearful that even if Mitsu created the perfect truck that filled the need perfectly, that it wouldn't sell well because most people don't know Mitsu as a brand and certainly wouldn't know they offered a pick up truck.

But, hey, if they can make it work and it helps the company, than I'm all for it. I'm a Mitsu fan. Have been since the early 90s. Heck, I even worked at Mitsu's advertising agency in the early-mid 2000s. I've spent more time in the MMNA headquarters in Cypress, CA than likely most people on this forum...and let me tell you, it is a backwards company that doesn't have their stuff together LOL.

 

they should bring the Colt Car Company of UK iterations of the EVO: FQ versions to stimulate attention to the company.

 

Mitsu NEEDS to make the galant a contender again. attractive design with luxury and power at a competitive price. if everyone else can do it, why hasnt mitsu?

and the eclipse. please dear god bring back the potency of the DSMs. they need to bring back the eclipse of old and market it as well as what it was and what it should be: a SPORTSCAR!!! convertible? hell no! gimme a 2.4L turbo with the evo's S-AWC AWD...

 

150% agreed on the Galant. The current car is horrible. Mitsu needs to find a way to have it compete against the Accord/Camry/Mazda6/Altima.

You bring up a great point about the Eclipse. A guy in another thread today was saying that an Eclipse with a 4B11T would be great. I agree. Throw the Ralliart motor in it with the Ralliart AWD system and boom, you've got a great competitor in the hot hatch segment.

 

I had to laugh here, improve interior quality and maintain MSRP would be a great way to help out. But I doubt that will happen. Look at the X from the IX, I'd say that was a significant change in interior quality, but the price jumped up quite a bit too. If they really can further improve on the interior quality of their vehicles without increasing MSRP much, and continue backing warranties better I see great things in their future. Even with just one of the SUVs and the full Lancer line-up and possibly some smaller car (like the i-Miev or Colt) and a larger car (like the Gallant)

I definitely agree that they don't need a truck to help them, and investing much into bringing the turbo-diesel here would be a bad idea. If they can get it set up for US safety etc, and get it built here for not too much more than the current line of Raiders, then I'm all for it.

They'll do fine I'm sure though. Like I said, the X was a vast improvement on quality (ride, interior, etc etc) over the IX, I doubt they'll stop there.

One flaw I see with that though: Where does the car sit? If you have the 4B11T from the Ralliart, and the Ralliart's AWD system, then the only people that buy the Ralliart are the ones that need 4 doors and extra space. Especially if the Eclipse is cheaper. Then if you up the price on the Eclipse by making it better than the Ralliart in some way... It competes with the Evo. 4B11T with either FWD or RWD and cheaper than an RA may run into competition with the regular Lancers. Where do you think the car would be able to sit in the market and not compete with the current lineup too much? I honestly feel like the Eclipse doesn't have much room in Mitsu's lineup now anyway. The GS is fine. But I feel like personally if I went in to look and saw the GT and a RA for nearly the same price, I'd walk out of there with the RA without hesitation. And the GT manual is 2k more than the RA base MSRP.

So really, if you want a V6 and a coupe and manual transmission, that's when the Eclipse comes in handy. Or if you want a convertible.

I can say one thing though, of all the Mitsus I have been in, my friend's 06 Eclipse has the best interior by far. I hardly feel like I'm in a Mitsu when I ride with him.

Edit: while reading my post I had a revelation: What they should do with the Eclipse is make it a Genesis competitor.

 

Agree with you. The RA and Eclipse could be stepping on each other's toes a little bit. But, the biggest difference is a two-door hatch vs. a 4-door sedan or 4-door hatch. There is a huge hot-hatch segment the Eclipse could fill. For instance, the GTI and Jetta are similar (same platform, same 2.0T engine, same transmissions, and a bunch of other parts are the same or similar - biggest difference is hot hatch vs. 4-door sedan), yet appeal to different consumers with different needs. And both sell very well.

 

I think I was the one who mentioned that... my dream Eclipse setup would be 4B11T + RWD (same as Genesis Coupe), S-AYC, TC-SST & manual transmission options. Don't make it AWD, Mitsu already has the RA & Evo for that and would only make it heavier. This Eclipse could directly compete with the 370z & Genesis Coupe... and would be a hot seller. With S-AYC, it could be a track beast if they keep the weight down.

 

"Should it be FWD, RWD or AWD? Mitsu could draw on their roots and offer both a FWD and AWD version. That might help. I'm not sure Mitsu could afford to develop RWD for only one vehicle. They would have to amortize the development costs across several models to make AWD worth it"

Why not just borrow from the Genesis Coupe's RWD platform? Would that be too expensive for Mitsu? Slap in Active Yaw Control to make it different, with the SST tranny as an option.

 

Well, if you think about it... Mitsu usually offers $1,500 cash rebates for the past couple of years on the lancers just to help with the sales. Not to mention the dealer incentives and heavy discounts that go with that. How do you think people were getting as much as $8K in discounts + 0% APR on the X just 6 months ago (I did). How much money did Mitsu have to lose over that just to get their cars off the lot??

If Mitsu did everything right when the lancers came out; ie. giving it better interior than hondas, toyotas, etc. while still aggressively priced. They would have gotten rave reviews from Edmunds, Motortrend, Consumer Reports, etc. They could have gotten a "best buy" rating, but somehow these publications always took note of the Mitsu sub-par interior quality. By correcting that, they wouldn't have to shell out money for those crazy rebates, right?? It will probably cost them what, over $500 (definitely less than a grand) per lancer to "significantly" improve the interior? That really is a better approach on how to sell cars vs. relying on rebates.

A car's interior is a big seller (to your average consumer). They got everything mostly right on the new lancers... except on that department.

 

Well, it's not just because of the brand... but more of what a truck like this (Strada/Triton) has to offer: Turbo-diesel/fuel efficiency, size (not a lot of choices in the small truck segment), styling (you have to see it in person), etc. Look at the VW TDI Jettas and the new TDI golfs coming... they are now hotsellers more than ever. Our 2 local VW dealerships are selling them like hotcakes... even with a $2K-3K markup (someone I know just bought one). People who actually cross-shopped between a hybrid and a TDI prefer the TDI. Check the edmunds/motortrend reviews. I read somewhere that VW has stepped up production on their TDI lineup because of increasing demand. Imagine the 3.2L Common-Rail TurboDiesel Strada making its way here in the US, think they are somewhere around 260lb/ft + 165hp, and probably getting close to 30MPG highway. That is REALLY attractive (at least for me).

Check this new line of small-displacement diesel engines from Mitsu:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_4N1_engine

I'd love to see these engines make their way here in the US.