1995 Mitsubishi Montero on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mitsubishi reveals mid-term plans including redesigned pickup, SUV and new PHEVs

Struggling automaker Mitsubishi seems adamant that it will soldier on across the globe. Just last week, we told you how the brand would begin selling a pair of rebadged, Korean-built, Renault-Samsung sedans in the US market, and now comes an official statement from Mitsubishi about a mid-term business plan called "New Stage 2016."
As part of the plan, a number of products not sold in the US, like the Triton pickup, Pajero Sport SUV and Delica D:5 will be new or significantly updated, while we'll be seeing a second-generation Outlander Sport within the next few years. Some of these new or updated models may be previewed at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month. There will also be an increased focus on the brand's plug-in hybrid technology.
In fact, that technology will play a big role in Mitsubishi's revitalization, as it rolls out its own competitor to Honda's Earth Dreams and Mazda's Skyactiv technology, called @earth Technology (yes, seriously). It's unclear if @earth Technology will develop into an overarching philosophy like Mazda has done with Skyactiv, but with Mitsubishi pushing so hard with hybrids and EVs - part of its deal for those Renault-Samsung sedans was that it would develop EV tech with Nissan-Renault - if we did see an @earth Technology badge on a car, we'd wager that it'd be powered, to some degree, by electricity.

2021 Mitsubishi Mirage and Mirage G4 updated with fresh faces, more tech

Mitsubishi previously teased an update for the Mirage and Mirage G4 for the 2021 model year, and now the new car is here. It amounts to a light refresh, with some minor appearance changes, new tech and a single special edition model. The same 1.2-liter three-cylinder is still under the hood, cranking out 78 horsepower and 74 pound-feet of torque. Brutally slow, but when paired with the CVT, it’s capable of 36 mpg city, 43 mpg highway and 39 mpg combined. The five-speed manual transmission is still available, but only on the base ES trim. On the design front, the Mirage (hatchback) and Mirage G4 (sedan) get a new grille and front bumper that are meant to be sportier than before. ItÂ’s highly reminiscent of the brandÂ’s crossovers with its upright, shield-like look, and that was intentional, Mitsubishi says. A new rear bumper and lower valance add width to the rear to give it the appearance of being larger than it is. New LED taillights are used on all Mirages, and redesigned LED headlights with LED running lights are available on the top trim. This design treatment does inject some fresh life into the two Mirages, but itÂ’s nowhere close to the full redesign that the Mirage is due for, having been in the same generation since the 2014 model year in the U.S. The interior gains new (supposedly improved) front armrests, more soft-touch cloth in frequently touched areas, and a “carbon fiber effect” on the window switches. On the tech front, Mitsubishi makes the seven-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard equipment. Also standard is forward collision mitigation with pedestrian detection. The top trim level gives you access to lane departure warning and auto high beams as optional equipment. That amounts to more safety features than before, but itÂ’s still a paltry selection compared to most new cars today. As for the special edition Mirage, Mitsubishi calls it the “Carbonite Edition.” Star Wars fans need not apply, though, as there is nothing about it that resembles true carbonite. Instead, it adds “a revised front grille and air dam, side air dam, B-pillar decal and rear air dam with carbon-pattern surfaces and contrasting red accents.” ItÂ’s pairable with six different colors and slots in below the top SE trim but above the mid-grade LE in price. The photos depict the two new colors available for 2021: White Diamond and Sand Yellow. The new going rate for a base Mirage is $15,390, which is $400 more than it was for 2020.

Mitsubishi wants a compact pickup for the U.S. market, but won't rush it

A Mitsubishi dealer told Wards Auto last year that "the most requested model at the brand's U.S. dealer meetings is 'a pickup truck, a pickup truck, a pickup truck.'" This month, Mitsubishi North America's COO told Wards that the carmaker has its eye on getting back to the compact pickup segment in the U.S., but that it will take time. "[We'd] have to have one that's the right fit for Mitsubishi," he said, "for our demographic, and something that's really competitive in the market." That wasn't the case with the last compact pickup the brand sold here, the Raider. A product of the Daimler-Chrysler alliance with Mitsubishi at the time, the Raider was a rebadged Dodge Dakota. The pickup sputtered through four years of meager sales, being pulled from the market in 2009. As part of the Renault-Nissan alliance, Mitsubishi's been put in charge of the group's next midsize body-on-frame platform, Automotive News reports. The chassis will underpin the next-gen Mitsubishi Triton (2019 model pictured), Nissan Navara and Renault Alaskan, and if Daimler continues the tie-up with Renault, the next Mercedes X-Class. It sounds like Mitsubishi has already made room for electrification, the COO telling Wards, "you start mixing in some of that electrification technology and these hybrid drivetrains, the aspect of performance is really going to change in the future." The carmaker does very well with its compact Triton pickup, sold in 150 overseas markets under that name as well as L200 and Strada. Wards says LMC Automotive predicts a Triton will come to the U.S. as a 2025 model, but we can't know how similar our model would be to the international model. Our Nissan Frontier, for instance, is not the same as the Frontier sold overseas, the global truck also known as the Navara and NP300. The five-year wait shows Mitsubishi won't be reckless with any new launch now that it has a vision and momentum to protect. The Japanese carmaker has posted sales gains in the U.S. for six straight years. The last two years surpassed 100,000 units, 2018 delivering a 14 percent jump over 2017 in spite of Mitsubishi having just four models on sale here.