Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Mitsubishi to offer new Galant, Montero in US?

We admit it – we've been skeptical about Mitsubishi's fortunes here in the US for a long time now, and this month's reveal of the 2014 Mirage subcompact at the New York Auto Show didn't do much to quell our consternation. Yes, the Mirage should attract a certain portion of the buying population based on what will likely be the best fuel economy figures in its segment and a low price, but the profitability of basic small cars is limited even under the best of circumstances. Mitsubishi is clearly going to need something meatier in its portfolio if it wants to get back on track financially.

Help appears to be on the way. According to The Detroit Free Press, Masatoshi Hasegawa, the company's executive vice president here in North America, has confirmed that at least two more models are destined for the company's US dealerships, and it looks like they're going to be entries into higher-volume, higher-margin segments. Hasegawa pledges that the company will overhaul its lineup over the next two to three years, and one of them will be a successor to the often-ignored Galant, a midsize sedan we last saw for the 2012 model year.

And what of the other model? Apparently it will be an unnamed "bigger brother" for the new 2014 Outlander, an acknowledgment that suggests Mitsubishi is considering bringing its Montero/Pajero SUV back to the States. Earlier this month, we heard a report that a next-generation model for the venerable off-roader remains a few years out, but it's possible Mitsubishi might import the current aging model before the new one is produced. A big shift is said to be in the works for the fifth-generation model, with a massive weight loss and possible plug-in hybrid variant tipped as top goals for the program.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/03/m...montero-in-us/

mmarshall

The last Galant was an OK mid-sized sedan, but, IMO, clearly not the equal of several of its competitors. And, of course, it never even made a small dent in Camry/Accord sales. If Mitsu wants to bring it back, it will probably have to do a better job this time.

nikko2jzge

The styling is very original. No one says a Galant sorta looks like.... They should bring the Montero and Diamante back.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Competent but downright dowdy

Aron9000

I hope the quality is better than my friend's 2000ish Eclipse. This bodystyle, not the cool turbocharged AWD model that preceeded it.



That thing was the biggest piece of junk. It rattled, random interior bits fell off, the brakes warp if you look at it funny, the 1st and 2nd gear synchro in the tranny failed under warranty, the clear coat on the black paint faded and came off after 4 years(this was a car that was stored in the garage at night, regularly waxed)

mmarshall

Quality-wise, the popular 2Gen Eclipse was probably more of a disaster then the 3Gen you have picured here. True, the 2Gen version had the turbo and AWD options (and was a favorite of the rice-burner and caps-on-backward crowds), but, at that time, the Diamond-Star Chrysler/Mitsubishi plant in Normal, IL, where they were built, was notorious for almost every kind of labor/management and quality-control problem you could think of.

Aron9000

Oh the 1st and 2nd gen DSM cars are notoriously unreliable heaps as well. But the turbo models are a riot when they run right, its very easy to turn up the boost and get 300-400hp out of them. And I do think they are built better, the interiors in both the 1st and 2nd gen cars look/feel nicer than that 3rd gen abomination.

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

They should buck the trend in the US and just bring a turbo diesel Pajero here. Find a niche and exploit it cause they sure aren't doing a knockout job in the mainstream...

Fizzboy7

At this point, Mitsubishi has dug their hole so deep it would probably take a few generations worth of new models to reach the competition. But if Hyundai can do it....

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

That Galant looks like a car from the 80's.

mmarshall

I was going to start a new thread on this subject, but, after a search, decided to bump up one of Hoovey's old ones:

Here's the latest on a possible (?) new Montero/Pajero:


http://newestcars2016.com/2016-mitsu...montero-sport/

(for some reason, though, this link won't let me copy and paste the text)