Mirage is Mitsubishi’s most affordable model, which costs less than $20,000 in the US market. The Mirage, which is available in both hatchback and sedan body styles, will be phased out, and with the retirement of the model, Mitsubishi will exit the sedan segment entirely, Automotive News reports. However, the company itself is in no hurry to confirm the exit of the Mirage from the market: in a conversation with journalists, Mitsubishi representative Jeremy Barnes said that this is “an important model in the brand’s portfolio.”
According to Automotive News, the Mitsubishi Mirage in July was the only model in the US that dealers were selling for under $20,000. But, despite the modest price tag, Mirage sales are modest: for the whole of 2022, Americans bought 15.8 thousand of these cars, which is 31 percent less than in 2021. The total sales of the brand in the local market last year exceeded 85.8 thousand cars.
The Drive gives several possible reasons for Mirage’s unpopularity. For example, the fact that the car is not only cheap, but also looks cheap. Accident models and statistics do not play into the hands – last month the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) even called the Mirage “the deadliest car in America.”
At the same time Mirage proved to be a reliable car. A few years ago, the American media wrote about a Japanese hatchback that drove almost 700,000 kilometers without major repairs. A couple from Minnesota operated their Mirage daily for six years: with a run of 240 thousand kilometers, only wheel bearings were replaced on the hatchback, and after the Mirage had traveled about 400 thousand kilometers, the car needed a new starter. Otherwise, he was correct.
Farewell, farewell: cars preparing for retirement
