Rumour Mill: Mitsubishi to close US plant

rickhamilton620

has a fetish for terrible cars
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The "kicked off USDM island" death clock continues to strike.

TTAC said:
Mitsubishi?s plant in Normal, Ill. is set to shut its doors for good. That?s what Japan?s Nikkei news service is reporting today, though U.S. representatives for the company declined to comment.
The plant was opened by Diamond-Star Motors, a joint venture between Mitsubishi and Chrysler, in 1988 after two years of construction. It currently builds the Outlander Sport/RVR, but was tasked with manufacturing the Eclipse/Plymouth Laser/Eagle Talon, Mirage/Eagle Summit, Galant, and coupe versions of the Dodge Avenger, Stratus and Chrysler Sebring during its lifetime.
According to Automotive News, the closure is part of a ?strategic shift to the growing Asian market.? Mitsubishi will look for a buyer for the plant, and there?s no shortage of potential companies looking for additional capacity.
After the break up of Diamond-Star Motors, Chrysler?s stake in the plant was purchased by Mitsubishi. At its peak, the Normal facility produced about 200,000 vehicles per year. Last year, the plant produced just short of 70,000 vehicles, still better than the less than 20,000 it produced in 2009.

Source: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/20...tion-according-to-nikkei-report/#more-1124313

According to internetz, about half of Outlander Sport models built here are shipped overseas to Russia. Given the Russian economic troubles, if the 50% of US production is true, it's no surprise that what was once seen as a saving grace for the plant is now a huge albatross.
 
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Mitsubishi to close US plant

Mitsubishi marketing rubbish said:
"Strategic shift to the growing Asian market"
Translation: we've run out of suckers in Canada and the US to buy our crap cars.

Goodbye, Mitsu. You will most certainly not be missed.
 
The funny thing is that Mitsubishi does build some pretty capable SUVs that go to Australia and Africa. They also have a bitchin' off-road Fuso that makes an amazing overland camper that fits in a container for international travel.

I don't understand why the stuff they brought to the US was such crap. I ended up with a Mitsubishi rental when my XTerra was in a fender bender and it was just fucking awful in every possible sense. Today every time I see one I throw up in my mouth a tiny bit (it's getting better, thanks to the therapy).
 
The funny thing is that Mitsubishi does build some pretty capable SUVs that go to Australia and Africa. They also have a bitchin' off-road Fuso that makes an amazing overland camper that fits in a container for international travel.

I don't understand why the stuff they brought to the US was such crap. I ended up with a Mitsubishi rental when my XTerra was in a fender bender and it was just fucking awful in every possible sense. Today every time I see one I throw up in my mouth a tiny bit (it's getting better, thanks to the therapy).

From what I've heard, read and seen, their first problem is that Mitsu never took the US market seriously. Mitsu has a rather arrogant corporate culture that doesn't seem to ever think that they might have been wrong (as was proven in multiple lawsuits against them in the US that revealed interoffice memos and emails.) Their second problem is that they never took the US market seriously until it was too late; some think that they still don't. Their third problem is that their powertrain tech seriously lags behind even the other Japanese manufacturers; specifically their engine tech has problems producing power while meeting US emissions requirements, especially the long term 100,000 mile emissions specs. Their engines didn't/don't last in USDM service and they just don't care to fix the underlying core problems until they are forced to.

Thing is, they're part of the absolutely enormous Mitsubishi industrial and financial megacorporation and nobody in Mitsu has ever seriously taken the division out to the woodshed for poor performance.
 
It's the same in Germany, they have not a single interesting model for sale here. Hell, I don't know anyone under 60 that would say "Hey let's go to a Mitsubishi Showroom". Yes, they have some pickups and offroaders, but other than that....everything they have looks dated, and probably is.

http://www.mitsubishi-motors.de/modelle/#!

Just go away.
 
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I'm guessing 'eineinhalbkabine' doesn't have quite the same ring
 
In another sign that Mitsubishi is dying - we saw their booth at the Dallas International Auto Show today. What occupied the space of honor on the rotating plinth at the center of the booth? Was it an all new SUV? Was it the last Lancer? Was it something else new and interesting?

Nope. This was what had pride of place.







Yup, the facelifted Mirage.

Mitsu is doomed.
 
The "new style styling"? Sheesh...
 
Oh, how the times have changed.

Remember when I bought my 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T. Could easily beat any Mustang with a few bolt-ons. Going to the dealer seeing the 3000-GT, Montero, & knew somewhere in the land of the rising sun a monster was there: The Evo. After this era, I just didn't know what their identity was anymore. Not sure if the 90's was when they peaked in quality and performance of cars.
 
I'd forgotten Mitsubishi was even still in the US market. The only dealer I passed with any regularity closed years ago.
 
Just fuck off already, Mitsubishi Motors. Go into a chinese backyard and get shot in the head.
 
You could have left this thread title at "Mitsubishi to close" and it would have been about the same.
 
The center piece of your booth is wearing plastic hubcaps? Really?
 
In another sign that Mitsubishi is dying - we saw their booth at the Dallas International Auto Show today. What occupied the space of honor on the rotating plinth at the center of the booth? Was it an all new SUV? Was it the last Lancer? Was it something else new and interesting?

Nope. This was what had pride of place.







Yup, the facelifted Mirage.

Mitsu is doomed.

Lol at the juxtaposition of a exciting "accept the challenge!" backdrop against a base model econobox.

Did you guys accept the challenge? It's beconing you?!

They should have at least put the purple GT out like what they have on the screen. FFS Mitsubishi, it's like you're not even trying...

I will say that the facelift does wonders for its visual appeal, even if the car remains meh at best.

Edit: "new style styling"....... Really? Couldn't spend 2 seconds to proofread could yah Mitsubishi?
 
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We took the actual challenge, not the one they intended - the real challenge being to not start rolling on the floor in helpless laughter.

The facelift didn't do *anything* for its visual appeal. Naught from naught is still naught.
 
We took the actual challenge, not the one they intended - the real challenge being to not start rolling on the floor in helpless laughter.

:lmao:
 
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