Mitsubishi to stop US production, close IL plant.

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Wow, I didn't even know they were making anything in the US.

I don't think they will stay in the US market too much longer. If they don't have some kind of turnaround and major expansion of their dealer network in the US, it just won't be worth it, and probably isn't now. Then again, they might keep it around just to say they sell cars worldwide and to keep a foot in the market. Either way, I don't think the US auto division is all that important to Mitsubishi Motors as a whole and certainly not to the Mitsubishi conglomerate. They will do fine with or without it.
 
Couldn't have happened to a more deserving marque.
smile.gif
 
The problem with very low volume is dealers are losing money to sell/service fewer vehicles. Part dept have to stock some parts for service and that costs money, if they have fewer than 5-10 customers a day they will fold soon.

Less dealers => less customers => less dealers ...
 
Originally Posted By: splinter
Couldn't have happened to a more deserving marque.
smile.gif



I'd take a Mitsubishi over a Fiat.
 
Mitsubishi isn't leaving the USA. The company is a multinational giant, that is involved in everything from building ships to
electronics, and everything in between including private passenger vehicles and large trucks. They have the financial muscle to remain here as long as they want even though the dealer base is small, and they still have success with the Mirage, Outlander, and
 
Originally Posted By: horse123
Originally Posted By: splinter
Couldn't have happened to a more deserving marque.
smile.gif



I'd take a Mitsubishi over a Fiat.


I'm not so sure about that. I had a 2011 Galant as a rental. It was bad. It was the worst designed, worst built new car that I'd driven, using the absolutely cheapest materials that could be found.
 
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
I don't think they will stay in the US market too much longer.


Isuzu pulled out of the US market a few years ago. Mitsubishi will be right behind them.
 
Mitsubishi likes to relate themselfs to performance. I would have actually bought an outlander sport if it was available with a stick and awd. [censored] some of the more adult hoonigans would have easily paid 30k+ for an outlander evolution manual.
But yeah, their cars even with polarizing styleing melt into the sea of automobiles...

They need to go back to their DSM days. Eclipse gsx, gallant vr-4, 3000gt. Those still give many warm fuzzys.

[censored]. Until I just looked I thought the lancer and evo were dead
 
IMO its a good thing, Japanese cars should be built in Japan, American cars in America etc etc etc. You have enough domestic marques to manufacture.
 
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
I don't think they will stay in the US market too much longer.


Isuzu pulled out of the US market a few years ago. Mitsubishi will be right behind them.

Don't forget about Suzuki leaving the US too just this past year
 
I don't think they will pull out though, they'll probably just refresh their line up at some point to boost sales. They stopped manufacturing in Aus in 2008 (Magna/Diamante then the 380) but they have strong sales here now because of very low prices (and someties quality to match I must agree)
You'd be surprised at how a car company can remain in a country on such small sales figures, Renault pulled out of the US in the 90s but have carried on in Aus, there is a Renault dealership not far from where I live but I still don't see any on the roads! Probably because they have the same reputation here that killed them off in the IS. The thing I don't understand though is how isolated Australia is and how small the market is yet they still ship them half way across the world for them to sit ignored in the dealership
 
Not because of me. I bought two 2014 Outlander Sports.
One for my mother. Why? Top reliability and they are easy
to service and get around with and you can get a loaded $29K one for $23K
Insurance is low too.
Yes there are better CUV's but the warranty is great for older folks who have limited funds.
Gas Mileage is exc too
 
Mitsu had some terrible A/Ts a few years back.... as bad as Honda's.
I think their reliability has improved a lot lately but car companies pay the price for junk cars for many years.
 
Mitsubishi has huge potential in the 4WD market, and they are pretty big in that segment in places like Australia and the Middle East. Unfortunately, this is not a big segment in the North American market. To clarify, for the average American customer, 4WD is something they like to have as "backup" in bad whether conditions and technology is so much relied upon to cover a lack of skill. Elsewhere, people actually take these vehicles off the road to some extreme conditions. Yes, the Jeep Wrangler is a popular vehicle in the U.S. for the likes of mudding and rock crawling, but that's not the segment the Japanese are targeting for their 4WDs, and this particular segment isn't as big as other markets. Anyone who says otherwise can tell me how many Land Cruisers Toyota sells in the U.S., compared to the likes of something like the Sequoia or 4Runner. Nissan also isn't selling their Patrol in North America either.

Vehicles like the Land Cruiser, Patrol and Pajero are geared more towards off road use and, although a lot more luxurious than previous generations with better on road manners, they're not really the first choice for everyday driving compared to something like a Sequoia or a Suburban. They have some of the best heavy duty suspension offerings around, but they ride harsh, their turning radius is wide and they were not engineered to be highway cruisers. Soccer moms look elsewhere. That right there explains why the Montero/Pajero was pulled out of the USDM, which was their strongest attribute.

Mitsubishi is capable of producing decent cars, but like many other manufacturers, they are not perfect. People quite often point out those oil burning Mitsubishis, but forget other manufacturers, particularly domestic, shoot themselves in the foot with cost cutting. Ford's two thread spark plug holes and nylon timing chain tensioners on the 4.6L, IMO, were a lot worse than bad valve stem seals on a 6G72.

That being said, their vehicles lack market appeal in North America for one reason or another. Their products are not exactly [censored] either - the brakes on the Lancer are a lot better than the Corolla IMO. I don't know if it's because of things like "refinement", marketing or simply costlier spare parts. Hyundai is pushing hard, but it seems there's a lot of brand loyalty that's hindering their efforts. Before going to CA, I have never in my life seen so many Toyotas and Hondas. When the rental company didn't have the Suburban I wanted, I wanted what they referred to as a "full-size" (mid size) and asked for an Impala over a Camry/Accord. The manager "couldn't understand why anyone would want an Impala".
 
Great post Falcon_LS

One reason is Mitsu dealerships were spread very thin in the USA
So thin at one time you paid higher insurance rates for them.
On the east coast here I have three close dealerships.
Consumer reports which is a fraud in my book beats them up severely
however it still had to give the Sport a top reliability mark.

I like mine and I'm use to higher end cars but its nice to drive something
safe and reliable without the fear of bumps and bruises. Plus maintenance is cheap
and the warranty is great.
 
I have a feeling Mitsubishi will go down in history in textbooks on how NOT to run an automaker in the North American region.

Mitsubishi caught on fire courtesy of the 0-0-0 payment deal which ended up biting them in the rear but made them relevant and known in the market. They mostly pulled out of that circa early 2000's but then went into another death spiral due to allowing their bread and butter to just rot away on the vine (Eclipse and Galant). It is a real shame as I REALLY liked Mitsubishi circa the 99-03 Galant and 00-05 Eclipse. After that except for the blip on the radar that was the 2nd gen Outlander they pretty much gathered ZERO consideration from me while car shopping.

Why did they let the Galant just die (04+)? Making your bread and butter re-design a real underwhelming piece then letting it rot on the vine was just absolutely asinine. Seriously someone was passed out at the wheel at Mitsubishi N.A.
 
Originally Posted By: pezzy669
I have a feeling Mitsubishi will go down in history in textbooks on how NOT to run an automaker in the North American region.

Mitsubishi caught on fire courtesy of the 0-0-0 payment deal which ended up biting them in the rear but made them relevant and known in the market. They mostly pulled out of that circa early 2000's but then went into another death spiral due to allowing their bread and butter to just rot away on the vine (Eclipse and Galant). It is a real shame as I REALLY liked Mitsubishi circa the 99-03 Galant and 00-05 Eclipse. After that except for the blip on the radar that was the 2nd gen Outlander they pretty much gathered ZERO consideration from me while car shopping.

Why did they let the Galant just die (04+)? Making your bread and butter re-design a real underwhelming piece then letting it rot on the vine was just absolutely asinine. Seriously someone was passed out at the wheel at Mitsubishi N.A.


It would be interesting to compare Normal Mitsubishi to Lafayette Indiana's Subaru plant. They were very similar, both had the other half of the Joint ventures leave(Chysler/Isuzu), but went opposite directions. Hopefully Tesla will buy the plant.
 
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