German Car Zone

You've suggested great things Christian... I wonder if Mitsubishi's financial situation has anything to do with their lukewarm products. Mitsubishi is bankrupt, isn't it?

I see what you mean and I agree

Overall I think this is an improvment over the last model, I can see traces of Volvo, BMW and what not.

Thanks much for posting Ben!

Thank you, James.

I have not been following up on Mitsubishi's financial situation, but I think they actually made a profit last year. I recall glancing at some headlines about this on Business Week, but I am not sure. Hey, my memory ain't perfect.

The only market where Mitsubishi is struggling is North America. Last time I checked, their Japanese and Asia sales have stabilized after the safety scandal of 2001.

Their European sales are pretty good. Models like the Grandis and Colt are selling like hotcakes. The newer Mitsubishi's have been well-received by the European press. Both the Colt and Grandis come with those vital diesel engines and feature excellent value-for-money. Their designs are also appealing. Euro Lancer sales have never been impressive. The Lancer lacks a diesel engine option and is only available with 2 gasoline engines: a 1.6 I believe and a 2.0. The Lancer Evo can't really save Mitsubishi, it's a low-volume-low-demand product. The Pajero is due for an upgrade soon, and it needs a new diesel engine because the old 3.2 4-cylinder DI-D is outdated - it was already outdated when introduced around 1999/2000.

Mitsubishi happens to be my favorite Japanese car brand. I always liked them because they were a bit of an "outcast" when compared to Toyota or Nissan. Plus, they really made some awesome cars in the past. Thankfully, it looks like their cool designs are coming back. This new Lancer isn't bad, but the side profile looks a bit porky. I'll have to wait until I see it in real life. So far though it looks pretty good.

Posted Oct 31st 2006

And so, we bring you yet another announcement about reduced losses. Aided by a weaker yen and increased sales in Japan and North America, Japan's troubled Mitsubishi Motors on Monday reported a narrower net loss of 16.1 billion yen ($137 million) for fiscal first-half of '06 compared to a loss of 63.8 billion yen ($544 million) during the same period in '05. Sticking to its forecast to return to profitability for the full fiscal year in 2007, the company also said on Monday that it would reduce its unit sales volume target down 86,000 vehicles to 1,322,000, reflecting expectations of fewer sales in parts of Asia, while sales are expected to increase in North American and Europe.

Can Mitsubishi return to profitability in 2007? They do have some decent new products in the market with more on the way. Only time will tell.

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/31/m...-ink-dwindles/



Mitsubishi's definitely improving their situation but they're still a loss-making company. From a 1999 article, Mitsubishi Motors recorded a debt of $17 billion. Its parent company did even worse - we're looking at debts of $132 billion. But it's 2006, things may have changed.

I like Mitsubishi too, but their financial situation gives me the impression that they are substituting cheaper parts to be used in their cars - their image took a hit somewhat IMO.

Good find. Thanks given.

That clears it up. Mitsubishi is still loosing money, badly, but their future at least seems to have been stabilized. A good thing as I really love Mitsubishi. My favorite Japanese car brand by far.

By the way, Colt and Grandis have gotten excellent quality ratings here in Europe. They're reliable and have high-quality interiors for the class of car they're in.

Grandis interior

I don't like it one bit. It's just a mish-mash of different styling cues from different manufacturers.

No problem.

My friend has a Grandis and I rode in it a few times before. I must say it was quite on par with the competition (Honda Odyssey).

Sorry to dissapoint the Mitsubishi fans in here but this car is a total mess.
I seriously can't find anything good about it.

Holy cow! I thought the Grandis was a Japan + Europe car only.

What he said.

I liked what I saw in the Evo X concept, but this is not what I expected.