Mitsubishi Starion
- Thread starter CDailey
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ya man they're not that uncommon actually maybe it's just your area
the FMIC from a stario makes a great addition to a junk yard turbo setup
get one from a junkyard... hack of the end pipes.. hot tank it, get some new ones done up...
voila perfect for your honda or other turbo project
the FMIC from a stario makes a great addition to a junk yard turbo setup
get one from a junkyard... hack of the end pipes.. hot tank it, get some new ones done up...
voila perfect for your honda or other turbo project
...so goes the legend. A legend which Mitsubishi doesn't deny - though, personally, I don't think "Starion" is such a bad name for a car.
Why am I the only person who seems to see these all the freaking time? I've seen far too many to count including several within the last few weeks. And I don't even like the damn thing. One of very few interesting things about this car is that whenever there's a street scene in Seinfeld, a gold Starion appears, typically parked on the street.
I'd much rather see a Volvo 780 than a Starion:
How many of you have ever seen that?
The first of the TSi trim!
The TSi trim was used to distinguish four kick-ass cars: first the Chrysler Conquest TSi, kick-ass for its time, then the Eagle Talon TSi, an undeniable value in the 'economy performance' segment and very kick-ass, even today, then the Eagle Vision TSi, the first car with a manu-matic transmission (debuting in 1996 - though Porsche also debuted Tiptronic in 1996), then finally the very best one, the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee TSi, one of the best-looking things ever.
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- JMarine25
Maybe I'm not too experienced, but what's the bond between Dodge and Mitsubishi? Like I heard of a Dodge Lancer, then it's a classic in Japan. What's up with that?
I think based on its style, the Starion seems to be a godfather of the 3000GT. I first seen this in the game "Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3." I thought its looks look very much like the 3000GT in some or many respects. So I cannot say that I'm too experienced with Mitsubishi as I should be.
I think based on its style, the Starion seems to be a godfather of the 3000GT. I first seen this in the game "Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3." I thought its looks look very much like the 3000GT in some or many respects. So I cannot say that I'm too experienced with Mitsubishi as I should be.
JohnBM01
The Mitsubishi-Chrysler connection is one that goes back a long way. This thread is a good place to start since we're actually discussing the first vehicle in that partnership, the Chrysler Conquest and Mitsubishi Starion, which were released in 1982.
Now, follow along, because it gets complicated. Following the Starion/Conquest, in the early-1980s, Mitsubishi was still having difficulty trying to make a substantial impact on the US market. So in 1983, Mitsubishi began producing the Mitsubishi Chariot, a small minivan, worldwide. Rather than release it as a Mitsubishi in North America, however, Chrysler decided to release it as the Plymouth Colt Vista. The unbelievable thing about this car was that under the rear "Plymouth" badge was the tag line "Imported for Plymouth by Mitsubishi", the theory being that Mitsubishi would get a little name recognition and a share of the small profits. The Plymouth Colt Vista was cancelled in 1986.
But still, Mitsubishi and Chrysler kept the partnership going. In 1987, Mitsubishi redesigned the Colt and brought it to the US as the Mitsubishi Mirage. In the US, Mitsubishi sold this under their own name as a sedan and hatchback as the Mirage. Dodge made things interesting. The 1987-1992 Dodge Colt came out as a sedan, wagon, hatchback, and small minivan in 1987. The sedan was cancelled in 1989 and based on the Mitsubishi Mirage; the hatchback was cancelled in 1991 and was also based on the Mirage; the wagon stayed the course but was based on the Mitsubishi Lancer Wagon (different from the Mitsubishi Mirage), which debuted worldwide in 1985. Finally, the small minivan, 1987-1992, was merely a continuation of the original Mitsubishi Chariot/1983-1985 Plymouth Colt Vista and was simply named (or, more appropriately, re-named) the Dodge Colt Vista. As if all this wasn't confusing enough, Eagle too had a version of the 1987-1992 Mitsubishi Mirage, which debuted in 1989 and was known as the Summit. Fortunately, Eagle kept things simple and offered just a sedan and hatchback bodystyle.
Following Mitsubishi's IPO in Japan, the partnership's strongest and most important year came in 1988 in the form of Diamond-Star Motors. Diamond-Star Motors (DSM) was named after the manufacturers' respective brand logos at the time, Mitsubishi's three diamonds and Chrysler's star. Brilliant, eh? Together the corporations worked to build a plant in Bloomington, Illinois, to produce vehicles to be shared by Chrysler and Mitsubishi in the 1990s.
The first car to come out of the DSM plant in Illinois was one of the more brilliant cars of the 1990s. This car, which people refer to as the "first-generation DSM" was the 1990-1994 Eagle Talon, Mitsubishi Eclipse, and Plymouth Laser. The models were redesigned in 1995 (second-generation DSM), though the three models quickly went their own seperate ways: the Mitsubishi Eclipse lasted until a redesign in 2000, the Plymouth Laser never even made it to the 1995 redesign, and Eagle's last year as a brand came in 1997, though the Talons made it to the 1998 model year.
Other developments in the early 1990s were boring: the Mitsubishi Mirage was redesigned in 1993 and sold as a sedan and coupe under Mitsubishi's name until 1996. Dodge and Plymouth had no need for the car (because of the Neon) so, though the Dodge Colt did see the redesign in 1993 (this time sold as a sedan and coupe), it was cancelled in 1994, though the Eagle Summit, also sold as a sedan and coupe, continued until 1996, since Eagle never got a version of the Neon. By the way, beginning with the 1993 redesign, Mitsubishi merged the Colt and Lancer models and dropped the name Colt entirely, instead keeping the Lancer name for all markets except ours, where Mirage was used until 2002.
Beginning in 1992 and until 1996, Eagle sold a small van version of the Summit/Mirage (known as the Summit Wagon), which was built in Okazaki, Japan by Mitsubishi and was basically a re-badged Mitsubishi Chariot (in a more recent generation than that of the first Mitsubishi Chariot/Plymouth Colt Vista). Unbelievably (it just keeps coming) the vehicle was also sold as a Mitsubishi, though not under its worldwide name of Chariot but instead as the Mitsubishi Expo from 1992 to 1995. As I mentioned, Eagle got the vehicle (both Summit Wagon and Summit) until 1996. All Mirage/ Expo/ Chariot/ Summit/ Summit Wagon models were finished at the end of the 1996 model year because the Eagle brand was winding down, and because the Mirage/Lancer was redesigned as a sedan and coupe for 1997. No minivan based off the Mirage ever returned (in fact, no Mitsubishi minivan has ever returned here).
Now, in all this coverage of the 1990s, we're still unbelievably missing the most expensive and most powerful Chrysler-Mitsubishi production. Chrysler sold it from 1991 to 1996 and called it the Dodge Stealth and Mitsubishi sold it from 1991 to 1999 and called it the Mitsubishi 3000GT in the United States, the GTO worldwide. Both vehicles were built in Japan, and the 1999 cancellation of the Mitsubishi 3000GT/GTO saw the last Chrysler-Mitsubishi vehicle. That's the last vehicle, not the last time they shared research & development, or even engines.
Okay, so that brings you up-to-date on bodystyles. We haven't even gotten into engines yet. And I won't, either, because that'd take twice the space and way more time. Basically, Chrysler-Mitsubishi, DSM (a plant which still exists in Illinois and produces the 2000-present Mitsubishi Eclipses, though Mitsubishi bought the other half out from Chrysler and re-named it Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America, or MMMA), and all the vehicles involved were mid-90s things which had their moment but left about the time of the merger with Daimler-Benz. The biggest evidence that Chrysler-Mitsubishi 'went' came recently when Mitsubishi, hugely in debt worldwide, asked DaimlerChrysler for a bailout - and was refused. Mitsubishi might file for bankruptcy, though while on the highest levels the company looks in shambles, on the lowest levels (ie dealer selling cars) business will probably continue uninterrupted. So there you have it! To sum up:
1982-1990? Chrysler Conquest (US) = Mitsubishi Starion (US, worldwide)
1983-1986 Plymouth Colt Vista (US) + 1987-1992 Dodge Colt Vista (US) = 1983-1992? Mitsubishi Chariot (worldwide)
1987-1992 Dodge Colt wagon (US) = 1985-1992? Mitsubishi Lancer Van/Wagon (worldwide)
1989-1992 Eagle Summit (US) + 1987-1991 Dodge Colt sedan/hatch (US) = 1987-1992 Mitsubishi Mirage (US) + 1987-1992 Mitsubishi Colt (worldwide)
1993-1994 Dodge Colt (US) + 1993-1996 Eagle Summit (US) = 1993-1996 Mitsubishi Mirage (US) + 1993-1996 Mitsubishi Lancer (worldwide)
1993-1996 Eagle Summit Wagon (US) = 1993-1995 Mitsubishi Expo (US) + 1993-1996? Mitsubishi Chariot (worldwide)
1991-1996 Dodge Stealth (US) = 1991-1999 Mitsubishi 3000GT (US) + 1991-1999 Mitsubishi GTO (worldwide)
1990-1994 Eagle Talon (US) + Plymouth Laser (US) = 1990-1994 Mitsubishi Eclipse (US)
1995-1998 Eagle Talon (US) = 1995-1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse (US)
Now, I'm sure all this has been utterly confusing. And we didn't even get into engines! By the way, of Eagle's seven total vehicles, five were Mitsubishi-sourced and one came from Renault in 1988 (the other was a rebadged Chrysler LH-sedan, the 1993-1997 Eagle Vision).
👍
EDIT: Okay, the two that I forgot: The Mitsubishi Mighty Max was a small pickup for the US market from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s (it didn't meet any federal safety standards, and, after being diminished to one single model in 1995, it was cancelled). In the mid-1980s, a version of the Mitsubishi Mighty Max was sold as the Dodge Ram 50 (Dodge Ram D50 = 2WD; Dodge Ram W50 = 4WD), a smaller version of the Dodge Ram. As pickup trucks are named today this would be the equivalent of a Dodge Ram 500, just as the Dodge Ram 150 at the time would be the equivalent of a current Dodge Ram 1500. In 1987, the Dodge Dakota came out and the Dodge Ram 50 was cancelled, though, as I mentioned, it lived on as a Mitsubishi.
The Mitsubishi Montero, introduced in 1982, was a 3-door and a 5-door in the worldwide market, where it was known as Pajero in Australia and Japan and Shogun in Europe. In the US, it was only a 5-door, but the Dodge Raider served as the 3-door model beginning sometime in the mid-1980s. The Montero was re-designed in 1992, though the Dodge Raider left long before that.
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- The359
Actually business on the lower level wont continue as normal since Mitsubishi has announced the Diamante and Montero Sport will be killed off at the end of 2004, and the regular Montero killed off at the end of 2005.
Mitsubishi also will not be getting the replacements for the Inline-4s until at least a year after they had originally planned.
Chrysler has also pulled out of the Normal, Illinois plant and will be building the replacements to the Sebring and Stratus (built on the Eclipse platform) in their own plants on their own unique platform (probably a shortened version of the LX platform).
Mitsubishi also will not be getting the replacements for the Inline-4s until at least a year after they had originally planned.
Chrysler has also pulled out of the Normal, Illinois plant and will be building the replacements to the Sebring and Stratus (built on the Eclipse platform) in their own plants on their own unique platform (probably a shortened version of the LX platform).
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- The359
Also now that I think about it, you've forgotten a few other shared Chrysler/Mitsubishi vehicles. The Dodge Raider was a rebadged Mitsubishi Montero from Japan, and I believe that the original Dodge Dakotas were rebadged Mitsubishi Mighty Maxs (or whatever the truck was the came before the Mighty Max). I know that the tailgate of some Dakota's have "Imported For" above the word Dodge.
An interesting story on the partnership of Mitsubishi and Dodge is that in 1991, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway selected the Dodge Stealth R/T as the official pace car of the Indy 500, and even got as far as painting up a few of them in yellow with all the pace car stickers and lights, before someone in management realized that the Stealth was built in Japan. Since every pace car for the Indy 500 had always been built in America by an American company, the Speedway realized they might have a problem and went to Chrysler to ask them for a suitable replacement. At the time Dodge was just about to come out with the Viper, and was still testing all the prototypes, so Dodge gathered up all their prototypes, quickly applied pace car stickers to them, and the Viper replaced the Stealth as the official pace car. (Also the first pace car to not require any engine/suspension/tire modification in order to keep up the pace of the field
)
However, as is also tradition, the winner of the race receives the pace car as part of his prize. Since the Vipers were still the actual testbeds being used by Chrysler, they couldn't afford to give them up, so the winner of the race received one of the Dodge Stealth R/Ts that has been previously made up as the pace car.
An interesting story on the partnership of Mitsubishi and Dodge is that in 1991, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway selected the Dodge Stealth R/T as the official pace car of the Indy 500, and even got as far as painting up a few of them in yellow with all the pace car stickers and lights, before someone in management realized that the Stealth was built in Japan. Since every pace car for the Indy 500 had always been built in America by an American company, the Speedway realized they might have a problem and went to Chrysler to ask them for a suitable replacement. At the time Dodge was just about to come out with the Viper, and was still testing all the prototypes, so Dodge gathered up all their prototypes, quickly applied pace car stickers to them, and the Viper replaced the Stealth as the official pace car. (Also the first pace car to not require any engine/suspension/tire modification in order to keep up the pace of the field
)However, as is also tradition, the winner of the race receives the pace car as part of his prize. Since the Vipers were still the actual testbeds being used by Chrysler, they couldn't afford to give them up, so the winner of the race received one of the Dodge Stealth R/Ts that has been previously made up as the pace car.
The359
We all knew those were going to happen anyway - those should've been scheduled some time ago and probably have nothing to do with the company's financial trouble.
Yes! The Mighty Max! I was going to mention that but I forgot. The Mighty Max, you know, was considered to be the least-safe vehicle when it was being produced. And yes, the Dodge Raider, sold only as a 3-door SUV, was a re-badged version of the 3-door Mitsubishi Montero, though that was never sold in the US (though, in that generation, there was a 5-door Montero).
The359
Are you out of your head? Are you referring to the new front clip, the Diamante's third half-assed facelift since its 1996 debut? There was a new model planned, yes, but for 2006. This is a car that's unbelievably behind its competition in every measurable aspect and the last car in its segment to still not offer side airbags - something was needed to be done. Mazda cancelled the Millenia because of a lack of sales; it doesn't surprise me that Mitsubishi has to do the same.
RacyBacy
They're cool.
Styled by Bertone. I saw one for sale at an Audi dealer a few months ago with less than 50,000 miles. I should've bought it. 
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- The359
M5Power
I know that the car is a waste, but it still would have been smarter to kill it off before they spent the money to fiddle with it at all, it might have saved some money for them to use on real projects, like the supposedly new pickup truck they want to build ($20 says it gets cancelled though).
The359
I agree. Particularly because everyone who exists knew the fiddled-with version was going to sell as poorly or worse than the previous version.
I think if Mitsubishi needs anything, it's a minivan. Even a small minivan like the old Expo - just something in that segment. Because Mitsubishi is the current leader in "percentage of vehicles that ars SUVs". Unless Land Rover, Isuzu, and Jeep are factored in, and we all agree they don't count.
- 475
I see the lucky person traded his Ovlov in for an Audi!!M5Power
Joking aside, if you are still wanting a 780 then I may be able to help you out: 780 for sale
I like the fact that it was a limited edition too since having a different car from every other person on the road is pretty cool IMO.
As for the Starion then I would have to go for the 2.6 l wide body in red!
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- The359
I think they toyed with the idea of bringing over the Space Gear or Grandis to America but that all fell through, as well as possibly bringing the Colt to compliment the Lancer, but I think the Lancer Sportback replaced that. Mitsubishi seems to want to follow Nissan, Toyota, and Honda into the truck market, thinking it'll help them become more of an American company then a Japanese company, but with the truck being based off of the new Dakota, and DCX kindly telling Mitsu to F-Off, I think the project is dead.
Hyundai really seems to have taken over Mitsubishi's place under the wing of DCX management. Hyundai is going to be building all of Chrysler's new Inline-4s, and Dodge sells rebadged Hyundais in Mexico.
I also find it odd that Mitsubishi still sells the previous generation Galant and Diamante in Japan, the redesigned cars are only sold in America.
Hyundai really seems to have taken over Mitsubishi's place under the wing of DCX management. Hyundai is going to be building all of Chrysler's new Inline-4s, and Dodge sells rebadged Hyundais in Mexico.
I also find it odd that Mitsubishi still sells the previous generation Galant and Diamante in Japan, the redesigned cars are only sold in America.
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M5Power
1982? First vehicle?
You're over a decade late.
In 1971 Chrysler needed a compact car to combat the AMC Gremlin, Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto, so they bought a 15% share of Mitsubishi Motors. The first vehicle in the Mitsubishi-Chrysler relationship was a rebadged Mitsubishi Lancer named Dodge Colt, introduced to the North American market in 1971. The Colt was also rebadged as Plymouth Cricket in Canada, from 1974 to 1976. (Interestingly Cricket sales in Canada doubled in 1974 with the new Colt-based model. The '70-'73 Cricket was a rebadged Hillman Avenger, a British Chrysler that was of typical 1970s British quality: very poor. It still took Chrysler until 1978 to sell a version of the Colt under the Plymouth name in the States, even though there was evidently a profit to be made of the Colt in Plymouth dealerships.)
In the U.S. Plymouth had to wait until 1976 to get a Mitsubishi clone: the Plymouth Arrow. It was a rebadged Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste (a 2+2 coupé version of the Lancer). It was also sold in Canada as Dodge Arrow.
In 1977 the Mitsubishi Galant Lambda (a coupé Galant) was rebaged as Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Sapporo.
In 1978 the Colt was redesigned into a front-wheel-drive hatchback (known internationally as Mitsubishi Mirage), sold as Dodge Colt and Plymouth Champ.
In 1979 the Mitsubishi Mighty Max was rebadged as Plymouth Arrow Pickup and Dodge Ram 50.
As far as I know none of these vehicles made it past 1983 without being redesigned or dropped altogether.
RacyBacyI see the lucky person traded his Ovlov in for an Audi!!
It was actually the owner's mom's car who gave up driving. One of those truly only driven by a little old lady to church and to the market.
Plus - only car enthusiasts know that it's different, or that it's cool.
Firebird
Meh.
The359
I don't think it's going to be the same relationship though - particularly if Hyundai knows what's good for it. I've never seen evidence supporting the theory that 'twins' aimed at the same market are good, particularly when the company building the twins is building one for an American manufacturer - the Americans always seem to make the profits.
Does Mitsubishi sell the Endeavor in Japan?
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- The359
No, the Endeavour is part of Mitsubishi's "America Plan" or whatever they called it, which calls for vehicles to be built in America and only sold in America. The Eclipse is part of it too since that's not sold anywhere else in the world now either.
Following the death of the three of the vehicles I mentioned earlier, Mitsubishi of America will be left with:
Lancer
Lancer Sportback
Lancer Evolution
Eclipse
Eclipse Spyder
Galant
Outlander
Endeavour
(Mitsubishi of Canada will sell all of the above except the Lancer Evolution)
In Europe, Mitsubish sells:
Colt
Lancer Evolution
Outlander
Space Star
Grandis
Carisma (Galant)
Shogun Pinin
Shogun Sport (Montero Sport)
Shogun (Montero)
L200
And in Japan, Mitsubishi sells:
Minica
eK Active
eK Classy
eK Sport
Town Box
Colt
Lancer
Lancer Wagon
Lancer Evolution
Airtrek (Outlander)
Galant
Diamante
Dion
Space Gear
Grandis
Pajero Mini
Pajero Io (Montero Sport)
Pajero (Montero)
At the most, it appears that Mitsubishi may just pull out of the American market, because they still seem to be doing strong elsewhere in the world. I don't see how Mitsubishi can survive with just 1 hot car (Evo), 1 small car (Lancer), 1 sporty car (Eclipse), 1 sedan (Galant), and 2 SUVs (Outlander and Endeavour).
Following the death of the three of the vehicles I mentioned earlier, Mitsubishi of America will be left with:
Lancer
Lancer Sportback
Lancer Evolution
Eclipse
Eclipse Spyder
Galant
Outlander
Endeavour
(Mitsubishi of Canada will sell all of the above except the Lancer Evolution)
In Europe, Mitsubish sells:
Colt
Lancer Evolution
Outlander
Space Star
Grandis
Carisma (Galant)
Shogun Pinin
Shogun Sport (Montero Sport)
Shogun (Montero)
L200
And in Japan, Mitsubishi sells:
Minica
eK Active
eK Classy
eK Sport
Town Box
Colt
Lancer
Lancer Wagon
Lancer Evolution
Airtrek (Outlander)
Galant
Diamante
Dion
Space Gear
Grandis
Pajero Mini
Pajero Io (Montero Sport)
Pajero (Montero)
At the most, it appears that Mitsubishi may just pull out of the American market, because they still seem to be doing strong elsewhere in the world. I don't see how Mitsubishi can survive with just 1 hot car (Evo), 1 small car (Lancer), 1 sporty car (Eclipse), 1 sedan (Galant), and 2 SUVs (Outlander and Endeavour).
The359
So there's your answer - the new Galant and Endeavor, which share a platform, are America-only vehicles, optimised for our American tastes. I wouldn't recommend selling the US Galant in Japan, though it's interesting to me, too, that the old one lives on.
I'd bet my life that Mitsubishi won't be leaving the US market.
The359
Yeah, but they'd have to fool around with some stuff. I bet that car was designed inside and out using US focus groups and US designers since its goal was solely the US.
Hmm. Is someone going to point out to these companies that 3-door SUVs don't sell unless they're called "Jeep Wrangler"?
I'll make a list, because lists rule at life:
3-door SUVs that didn't sell
- Chevrolet Blazer
- Chevrolet Tahoe
- Daihatsu Rocky
- Dodge Raider
- Dodge Ramcharger
- Ford Bronco
- Ford Explorer Sport
- GMC Jimmy
- GMC Yukon
- Geo Tracker
- Isuzu Trooper
- Kia Sportage
- Land Rover Defender
- Mazda Navajo
- Mitsubishi Montero
- Suzuki Samurai
- Suzuki Sidekick
- Suzuki Vitara
- Toyota 4Runner
- Toyota RAV4
3-door SUVs that succeeded
- Jeep Wrangler
There you have it. 👍
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