After 22 Years Mitsubishi Eclipse Officially Dead

[niky]

How did we go from Eclipses to talking about cars with American badges? Most of which are engineered by European and Korean working groups, designed in European studios, using Japanese and Korean engines and electronics and produced wherever management can get the cheapest labor?

If you truly, really want to buy an American car, seriously... Can't go wrong with the Eclipse, since it was designed, built and engineered in the US of A... No other market gets so many PS platform cars... Specifically because they're engineered for America and they're too wide for our roads.

 

[Blaze_409]

The mitsubishi eclipse(And the Lancer's) is/are the only car Mitsubishi has that is worth wanting. Why would they axe this car? Starred in the Fast and the Furious fresh out of a cereal box it was cool. Is Mitsubishi trying to sabatoage there own company? Or maybe im missing something. Where sales any good for this car?

 

[Camaroyenko]

If you truly, really want to buy an American car, seriously... Can't go wrong with the Eclipse, since it was designed, built and engineered in the US of A... No other market gets so many PS platform cars... Specifically because they're engineered for America and they're too wide for our roads.

But, Mitsubishi as a whole is not American. That's why I don't consider cars like those American.

 

[JJ72]

Starred in the Fast and the Furious fresh out of a cereal box it was cool.

I know some day that movie will have an impact on popular car culture...as people who watched them as kids grow older.

 

[yoman297]

Saw this one coming.

 

[Crispy]

It already did. Look at the prices of Supra's, they're nearly as much, or more, money then they were when they retailed off the lot!

 

[Pupik]

If I was reading things correctly on the 2011 Sales Wrap-Up, Mitsubishi sales increased 40% this past year. I'm at a loss of words as to why. I suppose the Outlander Sport is supposed to be a decent crossover...

While I have seen a lot more of the new Outlanders lately, I think the reason is that the dealer network is probably selling them for a much smaller profit, maybe because of incentives, maybe just to get back in the game with a bunch of hail marys. That, or the rental car fleets are snapping them up (to be honest, I dread getting a Galant as a rental).

xD

No, that's made by Toyota.

But, Mitsubishi as a whole is not American. That's why I don't consider cars like those American.

Please go learn about where your "American" cars and trucks are made (F-series/RAM/Silverado are made in Canada and Mexico, too); unless you're going to manufacture everything in life by yourself in a forest, the global economy is a reality that has been around for years. Heck, the reason America was "discovered" by Europeans was because Spain wanted a separate trade route to the Orient. Stuff was exported from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Japan, and yes, America, when I was a kid (which was 30+ years ago) and that was the norm then. While manufacturing in America would be nice, there's still plenty of manufacturing and jobs by foreign or multi-national companies which employ thousands (if not millions), and a good deal of the profits are generally re-invested back in America. Do you really think the CEOs and trustees of the Big Three or other American dynamos are taking expensive vacations in America with their profits? Or the private jets they own...not made in America either.

Why do you think all those investment companies you see ads for TV tout how companies all over the globe are important and vital for today's economy? It's because there's profit for Americans to be made from them, thanks to capitalism and a free market, so I can invest and profit as well, if I'm lucky, wealthy, and/or willing enough to do so (which I am). Hey, it's better you learn these things now, and not later. You aren't going to know these things of you aren't going to put an open and clear mind towards a reality that extends way beyond your hometown.

That said, I'd be remiss if I didn't include this:

Fun, fast, fragile. Mostly Made in Illinois.

 

[homeforsummer]

Wouldn't matter. I still stick to Ford, GM and Chrysler. I like their designs and performance better.

Isn't it in the constitution that you can only like cars from one of those manufacturers?

Do you really think the CEOs and trustees of the Big Three or other American dynamos are taking expensive vacations in America with their profits? Or the private jets they own...not made in America either.

In addition to all that, two of the Big Three recently struggled during the global financial crisis having not kept up with market trends and following the sort of progress achieved by all those funny Japanese and European cars.

It'd be lovely if America could continue to churn out big V8 RWD beasts for the rest of time like it did in the 60s, but if it did, the American car industry would quickly die off. A lot of brands from the old days have already had to be killed off, just in order to survive.

Re: The Eclipse: As it was never sold here, not really sad to see it go. Mitsubishi has been pretty poor of late, even the Evo X has become a bit irrelevant in the current market.

It's a pity in some ways, as I quite like Mitsubishi's current styling trend. The Lancer/Evo X is actually a nice-looking car - the base Lancer looks quite similar to the late 1990s Mitsubishi Galant, which was a great looking car. Simple and aggressive:

The company isn't without innovation either. The Outlander Sport, or ASX in the UK, is sold with a diesel that's the first in the world to have variable valve timing. It apparently makes for a really nice engine that has a much wider torque band than most diesels (i.e. less of the sudden hit then sudden drop-off you get in a normal diesel). Many of the reviews I've read so far have got very close to the official MPG estimates very easily, as the VVT means you never need to work it too hard to make decent progress.

And the Mitsubishi i is an interesting enough car. I don't think it makes heaps of sense introducing it to the U.S, but in Japan it'd be great - not least because the petrol car it's based on already meets kei-car regulations - it's essentially an electric kei car.

I've driven an Outlander. It's nice, in a sort of unexciting way. I wouldn't want to own one myself, but I wouldn't discourage anyone who did from buying one.

Favourite Mitsubishi is still the FTO. It's a pity the company never saw fit to continue developing that line. Particularly given the massive rise in attention it's got from things like Gran Turismo. GT has been as important for the FTO as it has for the Skyline, Impreza or Integra Type R.

 

[Slash]

Isn't it in the constitution that you can only like cars from one of those manufacturers?

I'm a Ford guy, but if necessary I'll drive the other 2. As far as the new NSX, I think that thing is butt *** ugly.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Favourite Mitsubishi is still the FTO. It's a pity the company never saw fit to continue developing that line. Particularly given the massive rise in attention it's got from things like Gran Turismo. GT has been as important for the FTO as it has for the Skyline, Impreza or Integra Type R.

I would like to import an FTO some day.

Seems it will be a while if the laws stay the same. 👎

 

[Pupik]

I would like to import an FTO some day.

Seems it will be a while if the laws stay the same. 👎

Yeah, about 8-10 years from now in the US.

Meanwhile, I'm waiting to see my first real-life, on-the-road Porsche 959, now that the 25-year-rule is over for that car. I think I'll sooner discover a manticore, though.

 

[Jondot]

Well this is enlightening. I had no idea there were still people rambling on and shaking their fists about those darn imported cars. More surprising yet is that said people appear to be under the age of 80.

I don't hugely want to lunge into the fire, but I will throw in the fact that here in the UK, the only real way to buy a (sensibly priced) car built domestically is to look at the offerings of Toyota, Nissan and Honda; all of whom have major manufacturing plants on our shores. By 'sensibly priced', I'm thinking more Frank Butcher than Frank Lampard, in essence.

As for the Eclipse, I actually rather liked the current model. Could be because I've never been within a few thousand miles of one, of course.

 

[Camaroyenko]

No, that's made by Toyota.


-_-

Please go learn about where your "American" cars and trucks are made (F-series/RAM/Silverado are made in Canada and Mexico, too); unless you're going to manufacture everything in life by yourself in a forest, the global economy is a reality that has been around for years. Heck, the reason America was "discovered" by Europeans was because Spain wanted a separate trade route to the Orient. Stuff was exported from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Japan, and yes, America, when I was a kid (which was 30+ years ago) and that was the norm then. While manufacturing in America would be nice, there's still plenty of manufacturing and jobs by foreign or multi-national companies which employ thousands (if not millions), and a good deal of the profits are generally re-invested back in America. Do you really think the CEOs and trustees of the Big Three or other American dynamos are taking expensive vacations in America with their profits? Or the private jets they own...not made in America either.

Why do you think all those investment companies you see ads for TV tout how companies all over the globe are important and vital for today's economy? It's because there's profit for Americans to be made from them, thanks to capitalism and a free market, so I can invest and profit as well, if I'm lucky, wealthy, and/or willing enough to do so (which I am). Hey, it's better you learn these things now, and not later. You aren't going to know these things of you aren't going to put an open and clear mind towards a reality that extends way beyond your hometown.

That said, I'd be remiss if I didn't include this:

Fun, fast, fragile. Mostly Made in Illinois.

👎 You're kidding, right?? I said cars designed wherever , I don't give a crap where they were built at

 

[88FoxBodyFan]

Yeah, about 8-10 years from now in the US.

Meanwhile, I'm waiting to see my first real-life, on-the-road Porsche 959, now that the 25-year-rule is over for that car. I think I'll sooner discover a manticore, though.

There are actually a few 959s on the road here now thanks to the Show and Display Law passed in 1999. As a matter of fact the 959 indirectly helped the law get passed. Bill Gates and Paul Allen had 959s imported over here, but weren't allowed to use them, so they pushed to get that law through.

 

[Tornado]

👎 You're kidding, right?? I said cars designed wherever , I don't give a crap where they were built at

You are aware of what DSM was, aren't you?


I can't imagine the aneurism you'd have talking about the Dodge Stealth.

 

[peter_vod69]

👎 You're kidding, right?? I said cars designed wherever , I don't give a crap where they were built

Fixed. Redundant "at" is redundant.

So you are aware that it was originally the result of a joint design effort between Chrysler and Mitsubishi?

Yeah, about 8-10 years from now in the US.

Meanwhile, I'm waiting to see my first real-life, on-the-road Porsche 959, now that the 25-year-rule is over for that car. I think I'll sooner discover a manticore, though.

There are actually a few 959s on the road here now thanks to the Show and Display Law passed in 1999. As a matter of fact the 959 indirectly helped the law get passed. Bill Gates and Paul Allen had 959s imported over here, but weren't allowed to use them, so they pushed to get that law through.

I almost fell out of my car a year or two ago when I saw a black 959 accelerating up a hill near my house. It was only later that day I realised that it must've been a kitted-up 911, as no 959's ever made it here, or if they did they can't be registered.

Then I realised that it wasn't designed and built in Australia, so I was outraged.

 

[a6m5]

You are aware of what DSM was, aren't you?

And the Japanese considered them American cars sold by Mitsubishi. Talk about a red-headed stepchild.

 

[Joey D]

👎 You're kidding, right?? I said cars designed wherever , I don't give a crap where they were built at

Where a car is built contributes just as many, if not more, jobs then were cars are engineered and designed. So you really should care where both processes are located if you truly believe in supporting America. Many GM, Ford and now Chrysler cars were designed and engineered in other parts of the world, from Korea to Japan to Europe and back again.

As of last year, the Toyota Camry contributed the most to American manufacturing jobs with a ratio of 20 worker per 100 cars sold. Source

Look I used to be like you when I was younger too, I mean I live in Southeast Michigan where for the longest time you would be shot for driving something other then a vehicle from the Big Three. Once you learn about world economies and where all the stuff you buy comes from, the importance of the country of origin becomes a whole lot less important.

===

As for the Eclipse, it hasn't been a relevant car in years. I'm actually amazed Mitsubishi's are still even sold in the states. I can't recall the last time I actually saw one.

 

[a6m5]

As of last year, the Toyota Camry contributed the most to American manufacturing jobs with a ratio of 20 worker per 100 cars sold. Source

Link didn't work for me, but I found this while looking for the article. It's a research by Cars.com for the 2011:

The two most American cars aren't, well, American, according to a new ranking by our friends at Cars.com. For the third straight year, Toyota Camry, a product of Japan's largest automaker, is the "most American car," as determined by Cars.com's formula. Honda Accord, the flagship of Japan's second largest automaker, is second.

Cars.com's annual American-Made Index ranks the most-American vehicles based on percentage of their parts that are made domestically, where they are assembled and how many are sold to U.S. buyers.

Here's the list of the top 2011 model-year vehicles on Cars.com's list, and their percentage of domestic parts:

1. Toyota Camry: 80%.
2. Honda Accord: 80%.
3. Chevrolet Malibu: 75%.
4. Ford Explorer: 85%.
5. Honda Odyssey: 75%.
6. Toyota Sienna: 75%.
7. Jeep Wrangler: 78% for 2-door, 79% for 4-door.
8. Chevrolet Traverse: 75%.
9. Toyota Tundra: 80%.
10. GMC Acadia: 75%.

Some has higher percentage, but are ranked lower due to fewer number of units sold. #4 Explorer is the new '11 model.

Hers's the actual article.

 

[CodeRedR51]

I can't recall the last time I actually saw one.

You live in Michigan, that may have something to do with it. As for me, I see them every day. The Lancer is quite a popular car down here. Few Eclipse's and Galant's here and there as well.

 

[Pupik]

You live in Michigan, that may have something to do with it.

I was just in Northern Michigan for ten days, and honestly any foreign car/truck sighting was limited to about one example every other day...and that was with a 40 mile round trip commute each day.

Interestingly, the dealer I worked at had two Volts and a used Prius, but my guess is that the later, although for sale, is used for comparison purposes.

 

[niky]

But, Mitsubishi as a whole is not American. That's why I don't consider cars like those American.

GM and Chrysler are, as a whole, not completely American. Fiat owns most of Chrysler (whose four cylinder engines were engineered partly by Hyundai and Mitsubishi). Part of GM is owned by the Chinese, a lot of its engineering capability is provided by the Koreans, and a lot of its (US market) cars are made elsewhere.

Oh... and yeah... DSM... funny in that the Eclipse and 3000GT are some of the few "Japanese" imports that make it to our shores in left-hand drive.

-

My Mazda Protege is more "American" than most cars. It has the engine and mechanicals from the Ford Probe GT. The ECU is even made by Ford. And for our market, it's rebadged as a Ford. Of course, it was assembled by Asian workers and uses Mitsubishi electronics, but hey, nobody's perfect.

 

[peter_vod69]

Ease up on him guys, he prefers real American stuff, like the Pontiac G8.

 

[Peter.]

By the way-I'm 13 and I don't have a smartphone, I have a normal cell phone which I use for calling my parents (which I have no need to since I live with them), I don't text or anything.

Still more than likely not made in America.

If you were to live a lifestyle where you only purchase things entirely produced in the US, you would probably have to live in a cave and feed off of the fruits on a nearby forest.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Ease up on him guys, he prefers real American stuff, like the Pontiac G8.

Yeah....right.

 

[niky]

Still more than likely not made in America.

If you were to live a lifestyle where you only purchase things entirely produced in the US, you would probably have to live in a cave and feed off of the fruits on a nearby forest.

Begs the question... what cellphones are made in America? I mean, I know there's Apple (China), Sony Ericsson and Nokia (Europe), Motorola (South America), Samsung and LG (Korea)... who else?

 

[Alex B]

I guess the Subaru Impreza WRX STi won't have any competition because of the Evo being discontinued. Some Eclipses were hot, like one with projector beams, the black grille surround, and the wheels that had the really thin spokes.

 

[CodeRedR51]

I guess the Subaru Impreza WRX STi won't have any competition because of the Evo being discontinued.

1) Evolution is not being discontinued.

2) Has nothing to do with this thread.

 

[Leonidae@MFT]

Evo might as well be discontinued if Mitsu truly intends to turn it into a hybrid.

 

[Prince.M5]

It's been 6 years since the current generation Lancer being launched. Yet, the next generation Lancer is still due... It might be a sign that they're ending the Lancer and of course, the Evo as well.

I just hope not but it doesn't look all that good.