Remember the good ol' days, when this company was a shining example of the latest technology in very interesting cars? I mean, who could forget the 3000 GT, which under a slightly modified wrapper was also the Dodge Stealth........
Or the boy racer Evo, everyone's dream of a hot compact sedan.........
The 3000 GT is long gone and we saw our last Evo only a very few years ago. Oh, those were the days for Mitsu. But a quick look around the world shows that they have keep up somewhat in many other markets, with vehicles like the new Pajero Sport.......
Probably fit right into our suv lovin' North American market. And maybe with the small trend towards smaller pick ups, their Triton L200 would probably lure some prospects into their lonely showrooms......
If Honda can sell the, almost a truck, Ridgeline, why couldn't Mitsu make a case for this attractive ride from points east?
If you fancy a family hauling van (and there are still quite a few of you who do), Mitsubishi also has the Delica D-5......
Van-like in the traditional sense, as opposed to trying to look or be something it isn't. We all know, that if this one made it here, it would have better sales success with a few timely mods.......
Who could resist the practicality of a van with a few tasteful(?) suv touches?
When Toyota started the Scion brand over here, they chose an unusual Japanese market mini minivan to lead the charge and for a while it worked. Maybe Mitsu might consider the going the same route and they have just the product in their eK Space whatever.......
Unique on our shores, this little charmer might find a following with those urban hipsters. If golf clubs would fit, I think my wife might say, sign me up. But let's get real here, we might as well start planning a few funerals, if people are holding their breath waiting for these products to appear on our shores.
But Mitsu is showing life, at least with their concepts, like the GT-PHEV (rolls of the tongue, doesn't it)......
And now they are teasing a totally new Eclipse. You remember that well liked (if not loved) little sports coupe from not so long ago? Sure you do. Well hang in there because Mitsubishi is planning to introduce a totally new Eclipse, but who cares about small sports coupes these days? Maybe not as many folks as before, so the new Eclipse will be a bit different.......
.........and true be told, a crossover makes more sense all around. Wonder about using that name though? It's like Ford dropping the Mustang, only to bring back the name on a sport ute. Sure, that would work. Either way, this new model looks up to date, so as long as the innards are also cutting edge, I'd give it a good shot at limited success.
Now, I say "limited" success, because it is still a Mitsubishi and they are gasping for air in our market. But, just as things couldn't get much worse for them, along comes a knight in shining armour, riding a white stallion, to help get Mitsu off of its North American life support. Thank you Nissan/Renault. This is the reason, I'm now backing this company and expecting a complete North American revival with a full line of quality pieces, based on the architecture found in the mother company's worldwide products. How could it go wrong?
Give it time and there will be another strong player from the east.
Until next time.......
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