Goodbye Evo? Rumors that Mitsi is leaving the US

Kirby · Dec 19, 2004

TOKYO -- Mitsubishi Motors Corp. denied Japanese press reports that it would withdraw from the American market and sell its Normal, Ill., factory.

Details of what it will do in its restructuring plan, though, are not ready to announce. Mitsubishi is delaying release of the plan's details until late January from mid-December.

Release of the details has been moved back "to refine strategy relating to corporate tie-ups and alliances and to give further consideration to capital enhancement," the carmaker said.

Tom · Dec 19, 2004

That's too bad, it will be interesting to see what the outcome would be though.

poboyis · Dec 19, 2004

doesnt really bother me, ive never really cared for mitsubishi. its the one Jap car comany that sux when compared to honda, toyota, etc

epj3 · Dec 19, 2004

poboyis said:

You have NO idea what you're talking about. I can't believe you're a mechanic.

Mitsubishi is one of the ONLY Japanese car companies who ever tried anything innovative and actually brought it to market.
IE:
DSM's (Talons, Eclipses, Lasers, Starions, Galant VR4)
3000GT's and Stealths
Evo's

They make good cars. They have tons more problems than average Japanese cars, but they AREN'T average Japanese cars. Have you ever DRIVEN a mitsubishi? Really not that bad. My friends Stealth Twin turbo ate stock Z05 vettes in a straight line.

I wonder what this means for hyundai since that's who builds their engines?

poboyis · Dec 19, 2004

epj3 said:

thats a laugh and a half. hyundai is even worse than them, and right under them it kia, and that is about the bottom line. parts are expencive and they have odd ways of doing things. i dont wanna say completly bad, but kinda stupid. until you work on all different cars EVERY DAY, you will not understand.

how fast a car is, is NOT what makes a good car, at least not completly, mabey, 25%. How reliable a car is and (to a lesser extent) how easy it is to work on and maintain (labor costs) is what does it.

If i remember correctly, i believe this is the same conflict every time how fast a car is, and how well it handles, is brought up

poboyis · Dec 19, 2004

and yes i have driven a mitsubishi, 96 eclipse turbo, 5-speed, coilovers all the way around, i was not impressed

epj3 · Dec 19, 2004

poboyis said:

The 3'd generation are shitty, drive a 1st or 2nd. They aren't perfect, but have you ever driven a 3/s or an EVO? No? Then how did you form an opinion?!! I wish I had that ability.

I didn't say that!!!! I NEVER said that and never would. If i wanted a fast car I wouldnt have bought a BMW!!!!!!! I would've bought a used LT1 firebird for an easy and cheaply-modified 500hp. Fairly reliable and SUPER easy to work on - 10x easier than my E30 (I know from experience).

epj3 · Dec 19, 2004

BTW Hyundai isn't that bad. I know hyundai and kia owners who are perfectly happy with their car. I also know bmw owners who have nothing but bad luck with their car. That doesnt prove the quality of a car though.

poboyis · Dec 19, 2004

96 is second gen dude

epj3 · Dec 19, 2004

poboyis said:

Sorry - then the second generation sucks. First are better overall. No crank walk or anything.

poboyis · Dec 19, 2004

you have no idea how much i despise workin on those. crammed in pos that has to have everything moved to do one thing, have you ever seen the timing belt setup on one of those? holy shneikies. and if ya dont replace it and it breaks, be prapared to shell out $500 for a new head, w/o valves and cams, if ure luckey. weve had a half dozen or so in the past year that had that, nobody fixed it, they all got hauled off to the junkyard cuz its not worth it.

PhatBimmer · Dec 19, 2004

Mitsubishi Evo 8 MR can beat a Lambo Murcielago errr....well I'm sure it could probably get ahead of it but it certainly can keep up with it (reference Top Gear: EVO 8 MR vs. Lambo Mucielago episode date 12/12/2004) but with that is the incredible amount of drawbacks to the whole 400HP out of 2.0L engine, is the humongous Turbo Lag and the fact that it has to be serviced ever 4k miles and that it gets 4miles to the gallon when you put your foot down all the way. Well that is some drawbacks but still its amazing that it can even keep up with a Lambo Murcielagao (new one not old) just shows Mitsubishis role that it plays as probably the nicest Japanese manufacturer. Sure its probably cramped and alot of repairs needed but I'd rather drive and own a Evo 8 or any Evo at that than some generic Honda that anyone can have...Honda is like Payless shoes anyone who has a job can own one

epj3 · Dec 19, 2004

poboyis said:

It is becuase they are performance cars and thats it. They are some of the most uncomfortable cars to drive (which i'm sure you'd agree).

Even as fast as the stealth was - my friend who owned it (I bought my 88 325is from him), just sold it 2 months ago and he bought a 1994 325i and he will tell you its more fun overall than the stealth.

MrElussive · Dec 19, 2004

PhatBimmer, how sure are you about that Top Gear episode? The EVO MR produces 276 horsepower according to the Mitsubishi US web site.

I also heard this rumor about Mitsubishi leaving the US, but I'm not so sure if I believe it. Granted they don't sell too many of their regular cars, I'll bet the EVO's are kicking ass. I see way too many of those things on the road....$30K sports car, but it has the worst interior I have ever seen, barely any features, no safety at all, and the drive has a very hollow feel to it (IMO, of course!). There is a reason why you pay 3 times as much for the Porsche 911 Carrera S. Anyways, my original point is that those things are definitely selling like crazy. Mitsubishi definitely needs to rethink some of the cars they are selling, but I also think their "name" has to do with it. When consumers are shopping for a new car, how many people actually think of "Mitsubishi" as an option? I'm guessing most people simply "overlook" Mitsubishi and what they have to offer....they need to give themselves a stronger presence in the auto industry.

As for the whole quality issue, you guys should take into account that up until like the early to mid 90's, Mitsubishi's build quality was FAR better than what it is now, but their cars also costed FAR more. For example, 10-15 years ago, the Mitsubishi Montero had a base price of around $46,000. Now, even taking inflation and the car getting better every year into account, the base price for an 05 model is only $35,799.

theBMWenthusiast · Dec 20, 2004

this could make my friend very mad...but i like the car

JGM3E3632 · Dec 20, 2004

I would not really miss Mitsubishi, but having said that. My girlfriend has a 2003 Spyder Eclipse. It has the 4 banger in it. She has never had any problems out of the car. She only has 26,000 miles on it. So far the car has been very reliable. I really do not like the way it drives or handles, also they could have tuned the 4 cylinder engine for more power. In all the videos have have seen with the Evo in it. (Yes the Evo is fast and it is a great car, but it is not for me). Ethier the driver or the passenger are talking a lot of shit. And they end up getting their ass handed to them. It just seems to me that anyone who has an Evo has a very big Ego. Earlier this year at Roebling Road raceway, there was two brothers out there. They both had evos, they were talking all this shit on how good they could drive. They had the only evos out there. Everything else was porsche 911s, (This was a PCA event, Believe it was Coastal Empire Region) Corvette C5 C4, BMW E36 M3 E46 M3, 330, 325i. I was in the blue group solo and they both had instructors. Anyway they were in my run group and they got there asses handed to them. One ended up getting disqualified for running off [ohcrap]

the track. Is just me about the Ego thing with EVOs our am I just crazy. [cheers]

Average Jae · Dec 20, 2004

I thought i heard Mitsu went bankrupt back in Japan earlier this year, or last year. the reason: Mitsu decided not to recall a critical repair in one of the cars that caused injuries, and some deaths. consumer groups took em to court and won! and supposedly the damages awarded were too much for mitsu to handle, (and mind you, in japan mitsu is more than just a car company, its a huge congromerate) it was a showcase of consumer's power overcoming that of the huge giants or whatever. (that is what i heard, never really looked into it tho, so if anyone else knows, do share [:D]

)

so imagine my suprise when mitsu started offering 4 year maint and such for free! i thought something was fishy! as for the car, they are definately 4th after nissan. and remember that "japanese quality" is a perception the japanese companies tried to build over the years. years ago, made in japan meant something worse than "made in china" until they turned it around. of course, they built it by making solid cars, but now that they have it, i don't think they are trying as hard.. Korean companies are trying to follow in the footsteps by advertising and promising 10 year warranties.

PhatBimmer · Dec 20, 2004

Mr.Elussive the Top Gear show is very accurate and I looked at it again and its 2.0Liter Turbocharged (I'm sure its 2 Turbos) 400bhp engine. It kept up with the Lambo and although I haven't updated so that you guys could see those videos it will soon be up on my site so you can see it, it blew me away as well and I doubt they would have that MR here in the US, in the video the car blows out smoke from the back which is the ECU not worrying about being efficient but just dumping that fuel into the engine, thus not environmental and such

bahnstormer · Dec 20, 2004

yeah its the latest one - i saw it too

as far as mitsu goes though it is at least original slightly
lexus just copies mercs and improves it a little....super
bland.

MrElussive · Dec 20, 2004

PhatBimmer, that is really impressive, I can't wait to watch that video.

JGM, I have noticed the same thing. A lot of the EVO and STi guys are VERY cocky, but whatever.

Goodbye Evo? Rumors that Mitsi is leaving the US

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