Industry Report: Mitsubishi Reworked

You'll have to excuse Mitsubishi for their excitement. Its not every week they get to introduce a sexy topless model to an eagerly expectant crowd. OK, the glamor of the local reveal was offset with the reminder of a number of more sensible models, such as the fun-to-drive Lancer and Galant sedans, but all in all it made things a whole lot more enticing. Before I start talking about Mitsubishis new models I have to say that the brand is still missing an important ingredient, a truly small car to fight against other entry-level subcompacts; a segment thats beginning to heat up thanks to high fuel costs. My guess is that if the U.S. management team had brought in the subcompact Colt a few years back, Mitsubishi wouldnt be worrying as much about rebuilding, but rather would be concerning themselves about how to get enough of them to meet demand. The Colts reputation in Europe is that of a fun, practical city car, and its biggest drawback is that it is somewhat cost-prohibitive to ship cars over from Europe (where the Colt is assembled alongside the smart forfour in Holland) and still hit an attractive price point.

But that decision is in the past, and with the surge in small car sales and a flood of new models, it looks like a lock for the next version of Mitsus subcompact to come to North America. With the Colt destined for an appearance in 2009, what is there to get excited about in Mitsubishis stable for the next few years? For now, it starts with the Lancer, and works its way up to the Eclipse Spyder, the brands new halo car, which, at a starting price of $25,389, is pretty cheap for a halo car. Of course, theres nothing cheap about its lust-inducing styling and it continues to deliver impeccable top-down cruising, so I have no problem with them slapping the halo crown on it. Of course, the halo model is the Spyder GT-P with Mitsubishis 3.8L MIVEC V6, good for 260 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque and a deep rumble from its divine exhaust note.

The next vehicle of significance in the Mitsu lineup is the 2007 Outlander, due in time for the heart of winter sales blitz. Its styling, if you ask me, is a step backwards, becoming much more mainstream and harder to distinguish from the crowd, although I cant deny a certain aesthetic philosophy with the Eclipse, both of which have lost body cladding and detailing--which in the case of the current Outlander was not nearly so out of place as with the previous Eclipse--in favor of smooth, tasteful simplicity.

Though it may not reach the level of sales volume that the RAV4 will bring to Toyota or the Santa Fe to Hyundai, for that matter, with its more mainstream SUVish looks (its proportions previously were terrifically crossover--taller and more chunky than a wagon, slimmer and less bulky than a real ute) it has grown in a similar manner, in size, spaciousness, and power. In fact, for the first time ever the Outlander will be offered only with a V6 engine. Nonetheless, it is a lightweight all-wheel driver with family hauling targeted as its primary objective. Questions of its reliability stemming from the new Outlanders relatively unknown reputation might hurt it in some shoppers eyes, but Mitsubishis 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty should instill confidence in serious tire-kickers and convince doubters that whether its reliable or not, Mitsubishi will foot the bill.

One more problem that the Outlander might generate is that it is creeping into Endeavor territory, which still only offers seating for 5. The Endeavor should need no introduction to regular readers as they are sure to have seen months of effusive, glowing praise from our West Coast office in regards to its spaciousness, style, performance and comfort. Sounds like a pretty complete package, eh? I still hope they bring out a limited edition Ralliart-tuned Endeavor, as seen at the 2004 SEMA show, along with the Galant Ralliart. That shade of red alone makes it worthwhile in my opinion, not to mention that a handful of other companies have blazed the trail with performance versions of their midsize utes. Look no further than Chevys TrailBlazer SS, Range Rover Sport Supercharged, Porsche Cayenne, and the granddaddy of surprising power-to dollar ratio, Jeeps Grand Cherokee SRT8.

Then again, those companies all seem to know their audience, while Mitsubishi is still looking for the right balance of youthful image and mature pocketbooks to sustain long-term growth in this country. Of course, that is the holy grail of most carmakers marketing departments, finding the right mix of styling, features, pricing and advertising to make it seem like every kid just getting their license or graduating university into their first full-time job wants it, while every empty-nester, father of 3, or successful single woman will actually lay down cash for it, be it for herself or for her son or daughter who just graduated from university.

Sadly, Mitsubishi seems too focused on the latter than any of the former. Mitsubishis image is largely built on the Evo and the Eclipse, and while I cant claim to have seen every Mitsubishi commercial televised in the past couple of years, I cant recall a single spot for the Galant sedan (Justin and Trevor claim to have seen the Galant commercial with everyone waving to the kid to the tune of the Flaming Lips "Do You Realize" as well as the See What Happens commercial several times, but I saw it maybe once and I watch a whole lot more TV, so I guess theyve got better channel surfing skills--then again, Justin, at least, usually downloads and watches them on his computer). Mitsubishi has some really cool ads centered around the Eclipse and the Lancer Ralliart, but they havent put enough effort toward putting their exceptional midsize sedan, a bland looking but spacious and dynamic vehicle by most accounts, into the minds of consumers on a large scale. Mitsubishi needs to wake up and follow (by no means related to Mitsubishis old slogan) the breadth of the Eclipse and Spyder campaigns with a push to introduce their largely ignored Galant and Endeavor to the masses.

The last vehicle in Mitsubishis lineup is a full-size, fully capable SUV by the name of Montero. Chances are you havent seen a lot of them, at least not very many 2006 versions, but theyre out there and they are bred from Dakar Rally-winning vehicles known as Pajero Evolutions. Mitsubishi has been winning Dakar Rallies longer than I have been driving, and they need to put that stellar record to use, especially here in the Mid-West, the land of snow and slush, where rally pedigree is good for convincing our winter-driven culture of a safety edge. Unfortunately, this is the final year for the Montero; if youre interested, we suggest picking one up, before they vanish permanently.