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Old 03-02-2007   #1
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The Demise of Mitsubishi Motors - 12/4/05

The Demise of Mitsubishi Motors


by: Mike Alleman

Even with the popularity of the EVO8, can Mitsubishi be saved from failure? Sure the EVO8 is a "shot in the arm" Mitsubishi desperately needed, but does it equate to using a "Band-Aid" to dress a severed arm or getting a well deserved heart transplant? Mitsubishi suffers more from lack of service, lack of warranty coverage on warrantable parts, poor quality, poor decision making, all the while turning their back on the people who support them by buying their products, etc, etc., and so on. Most of us have some type of "horror" story to tell about an experience with a Mitsu dealership. "Crankwalk" anybody? Talk about sweeping a problem under the rug. Or how about the "we can't warranty that because it looks like you might have pressed the accelerator to the floor at one time or another" attitude. If you ask me; "Don't build it if you don't expect people to drive it."

But regardless of these issues, it's hard to sell a product that in this author's opinion is just plain "F-ugly". In my opinion, other than the EVO8 (for the most part), Mitsu's product line is lacking a coherent or eye pleasing style. The fronts of the vehicles do not look like they were designed by the same design team as the rears of the vehicles. They look like "committee cars". For the most part you would think they were using a "Mr. Potato Head" in the design studio and somebody liked the way the big toe looked in place of an ear. Example; looking at the scallops on the doors of the 3g Eclipse would have most people asking "Why?" Why are they there? Surely because somebody thought they were the "hot design element" the car needed to sell millions. But in reality, probably due to bad design reviews, Mitsubishi launched an ad campaign to convince the masses they were actually a safety feature designed right into the door skins. I wonder how many lives those scallops actually saved. Or how many other people died after taking their eyes off the road to look backwards wondering "what are those there for", while passing them on the road.

Could there be light at the end of the tunnel for Mitsu with the 4g Eclipse? Maybe, if Mitsu plays their cards right. To build another "pork bomb" is not the answer. For some strange reason as a car, any car goes through its generations; it keeps getting bigger and heavier. This seems to happen with most makes, not just Mitsu. Maybe they think the 110 pound sixteen year old who bought a new 1g would buy a new 4g fifteen years later if only he could fit his 280 pound body into the seat? But by making the car bigger and heavier, they are taking away the sole essence of what made the car popular in the first place; price, speed and agility. The EVO8 is doing very well for Mitsu. But how many sales are they loosing because of the 4-door sedan platform? Let's face it, no matter how well the EVO8 performs; many people will not want to drive a "4-door, soccer mom on steroids, grocery getter" sedan. "But it's all about rally" some will say, and maybe so, but only for those who are about rally racing. And do we really believe the EVO8 is selling more Endeavors, Outlanders, Galants, Lancers, etc. for Mitsubishi? I would think not. And that's the problem. Sales numbers speak volumes. According to the Morgan & Company Rankings of U.S. auto sales dated October 2005, http://www.morgancom.com/AutoSalesSummary1105.xls , Mitsubishi's sales for the past 12 months have dropped 29.3% compared to the previous year's 12 month sales numbers.

This currently places them 3rd in the list from the bottom of the Asian car brands sold in the U.S. in terms of sales, out selling only Isuzu and Suzuki. And coming up almost 70,000 fewer units sold, as compared to 4th from the bottom Subaru, for the same 12 months. That's almost 36% fewer units sold compared to one of Mitsubishi's biggest target market competitors. And let's face it, the 3g Eclipse was a major disappointment for the true Diamond Star Motors enthusiast. No AWD, no turbo and not even the beloved DOHC 4g63. Why? Does success come with a problem of "mental block" for Mitsubishi?

What Mitsu needs is another "real" sport coupe and the 4g could be it. BUT, it needs to be the sport coupe every true DSM'er is screaming for. An AWD, turbo charged, fire breathing monster. Mitsu can counter back with the "what's the problem" attitude, "it's got a 210 hp v-6, that's the same power level as the original turbo 4 was, so why are you complaining?" way of thinking. We're complaining because it's simply not the same! We want a car that inspires us to do more. Not a half done, cookie cutter mode of transportation.

So enter the Ralliart Eclipse into the picture. AWD, turbo charged, and a fire breathing 400hp punch. Could this be the "guiding light" to almighty salvation for Mitsubishi? More than likely it will just be the twinkle of a distant star we could never reach. At this point it's nothing more than a "concept car", a show piece to get our die hard performance hearts pounding and running to every Mitsubishi dealer on the planet. But the problem is that once we get there, it's only a "bait & switch" towards what's left to choose from. And other than the EVO8, that's not much in anybody's book. The Ralliart Eclipse is what the 3g should have been and what the new 4g should be. And it should be a relatively easy build using the EVO8 driveline. "Build it and they will come". Mitsubishi are you listening? We sure hope you are.

-1ViciousGSX ---
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