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Mitsubishi Outlander Long Term Viability
prndldriver
Member Posts: 21
How long do you realistically think that Mitsubishis are going to be sold in this country? This question is my biggest holdback from getting an Outlander. I would like to have this car for 10 years, but am just queasy that Mitsu will pull out. I know about the 10 yr and 5 year warranties. Even with those, Mitsu has a mixed track record on announcing recalls. The difference between the IntelliChoice and JDPowers notes on reliability of an Outlander is confusing.
The Outlander seems like a great SUV and has many features that I like all at a good price. The ride is not as smooth as say, a Highlander, but it's not as bumpy as the CR-V, which also has a smaller engine. I guess that's more due to it being an SUV. I would like to buy this SUV but have these concerns.
The Outlander seems like a great SUV and has many features that I like all at a good price. The ride is not as smooth as say, a Highlander, but it's not as bumpy as the CR-V, which also has a smaller engine. I guess that's more due to it being an SUV. I would like to buy this SUV but have these concerns.
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Comments
My Outlander was totaled earlier this year, and since I had a good experience with it (very few problems), and had developed that relationship with the service guys, I decided to buy an '08 Lancer.
My answer to your question is that I don't forsee them leaving anytime soon (and I mean within the next 10 years anyways). The '07 Outlander is head and shoulders above the '03 model I owned, and seems to be getting respect from the automotice publications. The new Lancer looks really good, in my opinion. As soon as the Lancer, Evolution X comes out, that will be another feather in their cap, that will gain some publicity for Mitsubishi.
If Mitsubishi can redesign the Galant to look as nice as the '07 Outlander, and '08 Lancer look, I think that will really help them. The midsized car segment is huge in this country, and if they could design a car with a little more "attitude" than the Camry and Accord, and a longer warranty to boot, they might snag a few sales from those guys. The Galant is never going to be a serious threat to the Camry and Accord, but I think with a good redesign, they could sell a lot more than they currently do.
Mitsubishi will never leave the U.S. market.
Unlike the French and the Italians (which left the U.S. in the 80's and 90's) and have dominant positions in their home markets, Mitsubishi does not enjoy that position in Japan.
They have to rely on any and all volume that they can get in each market that they are in.
The U.S. is still the world's largest car market (China closing in quickly) and Mitsubishi needs the 150,000 to 200,000 units it moves here.
Now, they might close down their manufacturing plant in Illinois, but they will continue to sell their cars here. Plant or no plant.
It will take years, but look where Mazda was 7 years ago and where they are today. Over the past 5 years or so, they found an identity (zoom-zoom) and they built a great vehicle lineup (never mind the Tribute) that gave them a big push and great visibility.
To me, Mitsu is taking a similar approach. They started with two good products in the the hottest segments. Over the next year or two, they will improve these and add the Evo, Ralliart and maybe a production version of the Concept-cX. I do believe in the past year Mitsubishi built a lot of awareness with their new products. I'm a living example; a year ago, I would have not considered Mitsu based on their offering. The Outlander changed that in a heartbeat. The truth is I'm not a brand loyal buyer - I buy whatever I like regardless the badge.
I guess, seeing what Mitsu is doing with their line-up, I think they will succeed and therefore they will still be here in 10 years and going.
Unfortunately, neither the Galant nor Endeavor are getting a full redesign anytime soon (probably not before the 2011 model year).
For the 2009 model year both are getting a slight freshening, which is frustrating dealers a bit.
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070823/FREE/70822001/1024/F- - - - REE
I have to say that the Autonews/Autoweek article's choice of models is a bit off.
Mitsubishi has already indicated that the next generation COLT (due in Japan next year) will come to the U.S., yet it's missing from their list.
They state that the Pajero Pinin might make it here. That's odd, since the model was discontinued in 2006 (though a version called the TR is still being built in Brazil). I think it is far more likely that the new COLT platform will spawn a crossover similar to the Concept cX.
I sincerely doubt that the Montero will make a return to the U.S., simply due to the fact that the vehicle never sold at justifiable volumes and was missing a V8 (given the move to more fuel-efficient crossovers, it just doesn't make any sense).
Finally, at the beginning of the article they state that the Galant and Endeavor will be redesigned at a later date, then further down in the article it says the Endeavor may get axed...??? So which one is it??? I would say that the Endeavor will see a redesign around the same time as the Galant (2011).
The Colt would be accepted in Canada without doubt - Yaris, Fit and Versa sell well here.
I'd like to see the Concept xC as a hot hatch - after all it has the Lancer's front end so it's got to be a car not a CUV. They may call it crossover though. The rear looks very Volvo C30 which is a cool thing. With a diesel, AWD some smart features and versatility, it could be a hit in Canada at least. The Canadians like hatches, and from what I'm reading on the forums, the Americans have started to show some interest too.
With the subcompact car (Colt), compact car (Lancer), compact minivan (Grandis) and compact SUV (Outlander)and eventually a hot hatch (Concept xC) covered, they still have to work on the midsize car (Galant) and CUV (Endeavor or something). There is still a big market for these cars, especially in the US. No point for trucks or body-on-frame, gas guzzler so no surprise to dump the Raider and Montero.
One more thing, Mitsu should drop the CVT idea. Leave that for Nissan. I drove a Lancer DE with a CVT and it's HORRIBLE. A 5-speed manumatic should do it. I truly hope that the 2.4L Outlander won't have the CVT - why spoil an otherwise great car?
Oh... forgot the Eclipse. They should redesign that one too and put it on diet and make it a real sports car. The 3.8L V6 260hp is dated and the 2.4L I4 is underpowered for a heavy sports car.
For now, it's a well known thing that the Mitsu resale value is low.
As far as the Illinois manufacturing plants future...I would say that they are going to try damned hard to keep it going. There are a few reasons why I think that way. #1 - There isn't much doubt that the least profitable overseas Mitsubishi manufacturing plant is in Australia, they are churning out about 50 cars a day, one model only (rh drive Galant) and still they have not shut down. The U.S. plant is on only one shift right now but they make 4 models, the Galant, Endeavor, Eclipse and Spyder. The plant is very flexible in its manufacturing capability. #2 Just because the tariffs on imports now are lenient that could change very quickly. If the Democratic party were to control the White House and congress in the next few years there is a good chance they could try to help the UAW - a major source of income for them - by penalizing imports. I have no doubt that if Kerry had won election in 04 he would have tried to help Ford, GM and Chrysler (their UAW workers anyway) by increasing taxes on imports or in other ways. If Mitsubishi has their own plant in the U.S. they can avoid many of these punitive expenses. If they were to close the plant...It's gone forever. Is it possible that VW, at this point in time, wishes they still had a toehold in Pennslyvania? It just seems that Japanese management seems to take a longer "down the road" view of these economic decisions than the Americans or Europeans.
Now, if you want to leave out the profit factor and talk about the "face" factor - we are constantly told how important this is to the Japanese - Mitsubishi has left no doubt about how committed they are to the North American market. The next 2 launches here are the Evo X and the Lancer Ralliart. These are the Halo cars for Mitsubishi Motors. Unless they were totally confident in their market decisions I don't think they would risk selling these cars here first.
I have gotten an '05 Mitsu Outlander about a half a year ago, and I am hoping to keep the Mitsu until at least 100K miles. Sure, the resale value was very low, but it's good for me!!!! I got it cheap! And I get the rest of the transferrable warranty. Heck, you don't get that with Subaru...
So I went to the dealer to see about an Outlander XLS with sun and sound and the other package that's required for s&s. The price, supposedly an 'employee' deal as we know a mechanic who works there, was 9% off MSRP. Some in our household are still not sold on the Outlander and its rough handling over bumpy pavement. I guess that's what 'sport' handling is. The price didn't excite us, so we're waiting for a low mileage used one or who knows. Does that price seem good?